The Silver Lining

At this very moment, one of my children is about to be in trouble. They tag-team it, you know? The boy will be doing something crazy, and just as I get him situated, the girl will start in, and then the boy revs back up just as I get the girl's eyes realigned from the eye-roll she thought I couldn't see. In fact, from the time they recover from the post-nap zone-out until they fall asleep, I feel like I am a crazy, obnoxious mom, getting onto them in a continuous stream of correcting and negativity. It's not a good feeling. Is it me? Is it them? Is it the time of day?

My theory is twofold: 1) they are going stir crazy. It's hot here ... SPF 600 hot. We spend a lot of time indoors (which means at home because this is a house of educators so we do things on a budget) looking at each other and wishing it was cooler. 2) We spend so much time together that we start to lose an appreciation for being together.

I try to address the first problem with movies, crafts, games, music, trips to the park before it gets too hot, etc., but we can only do so much together before someone ignites a flame of annoyance and no one is happy. I hate it when they have been inside all day, and the indoors gets rowdy, but I try to be a little loose on the rules as I know they are bored. Of course, it's all fun and games until someone gets their hand slammed in the door or body-checked into the wall. Incidents like that happen almost daily, and make rough endings for days that started off pretty smoothly.

Really the only way to address the second problem is to spend time apart, and that happens when school starts up again in two weeks. My husband and I will be away from our kids all day, so we can appreciate them and all their little crazies. The girl will get a chance to interact with other kids as she is starting kindergarten, and that socialization is something that she desperately needs. The boy will get time with his cousin and his Meemaw, and time away from his sister which is always good ... it goes back to the appreciation thing. 

School starting will save the sanity of everyone. While the hubs and I will miss my kids ... A LOT ... when we go back, each of us will have something to do to keep us occupied, and we can better appreciate how blessed we are to be a family. Even if I'm not ready to go back and work, I am ready for that part of going back to school.