10.28.2003

Back Home Thank You Very Much

I am still livid about today's mountain bike happenings, and so will post about that after I've cooled down a bit. Random bits instead, to give you the general flavor of my mood:

My parents' home was and is still very far from the fires--they are fortunate. Still, the ash and air quality in their area were so gnarly that a police officer wearing a surgical mask barred us from a neighborhood playground. Slunk back home with the screaming disappointed kids and found my poor mom wracked by the same dreaded GI bug that smacked me around again this A.M., oh joy. All told, we spent day three trapped inside my parents' Dr. Seuss-designed condo and felt very lucky to have a roof over our heads. Then it was off to catch our plane.

People who give into their kids' nagging are complete fuckheads and drive me nuts, since they couldn't do a better job of training their kids to be tenacious manipulators. Got to witness lots of kids working that mommy mommy candy candy please please no please no please no please okay fine action while we were stuck at the San Diego airport for FOUR HOURS this evening. I'll tell you, though, the urge to give into a girl who will not ever back down or shut up and will natter on at you full-force for seven hours straight can be overwhelming. I usually end up flailing for ultimatums whenever she goes deep into not-listening territory:

"Stand right there, put your hands against that wall and don't move a muscle. Don't even talk"

"Can I blink my eyes? That's moving muscles"

to self: "Goddammit"
to Iz: "Try not to. No talking"

"What about my fingers?"

"Did you hear me? No talking!"

"Can I breathe? That's moving muscles"

to self: "Goddammit"
to Iz: "You can breathe. But you need to stop talking now because I'm starting to get angry. Look at my eyes. Do you want me to be really angry?"

"No, mommy. I'm sorry. Can we go to McDevil's on the way home?"

to self: "AIIIIIGH!!!!"

I ended up giving her the silent treatment, where I will interact with but will not speak to her for five minutes. Then we gave "good listening" another try and it went much more smoothly (e.g., walking with me to the shuttle bus rather than playing hopscotch as I push Leelo in the stroller and juggle a roller bag, two car seats, and a backpack). I fucking hate being cornered into that kind of punitive parenting, but she is exasperating. And it is getting increasingly difficult to remember that the little girl pressing her nose to the airplane window and yelling out "I can see the curvature of the earth!" is, emotionally, very much four years old.

On to Leelo. He is doing well, and we seem to have our boy back. Lots of great eye contact and minimal nuttiness. If he does start getting nutty, I say "no crazies!" and he laughs and parrots back "no crazies!" He's attempting to construct sentences using "don't want," but can't quite grasp the logistics. He's starting to imitate Iz's sentences. Nice!

Soooo bushed. Nap time, sleepy time, jammie time too! (How much Playhouse Disney did we watch this weekend? Don't ask, don't even ask.)

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