Yep - it was one of those days. You mom's know the type of day I'm talking about...the long ones, that don't end! I'm reminded of the mom who came up with a t-shirt that has a picture of her daughter in a full on meltdown. The phrase said "Got kids? Want mine?" I don't know that mom, but I feel a kinship with her right now...
The day started off just fine with our jaunt to high tea. You can read about that in my last post.
Then shortly after we got home, it just took a wrong turn!
Usually my two are buddies - no, I'm not just saying that. Typically they like to play together in the absence of other children. (If only I could find a way to keep spare children around my house - j/k). Since both hubby and I have ADHD, it should come as no surprise that both of our kids have it too! That's the beauty of ADHD though, you tend to forget things, sometimes important things, like that YOU have it. Well, we double dosed them in the DNA department. In hindsight, maybe not our best idea, but we wouldn't trade them for the world. Okay - some days....
Anyway, my oldest is active or exuberant as we like to say. He loved attention when he was younger - he especially loved a good audience. My youngest, like most babies, loved to be entertained. They were a match made in heaven - He could spin in circles and jump and make funny faces, and she would laugh and laugh. It's no wonder that she adores him to this day. However, despite another 4 years of growth, she still expects him (subconciously) to entertain her. If he isn't willing to oblige (sometimes he just wants a few minutes to himself - and don't we ALL know that feeling?) she takes matters into her own hands - sometimes its her feet too. She's mostly past the biting phase now.
I have a few weapons in my mom arsenal for really tough days like these. I hoard them like Weight Watchers chocolate ice cream bars until a desperate moment presents itself. Around 2 pm, just such a moment occurred.
They tried playing together - but she wanted to play princess, and he wanted play wizard. He offered to be her "wizard bodyguard" but she insisted that she did not NEED protection. Insert escalating moment here. He insisted that she did and she reluctantly agreed on the condition that she could order him around. I have to insert one extra factoid - she has a best friend - whom we'll call Hally (b/c I haven't asked Hally's parents if I can add her real name to this blog).
The game went like this:
M "You have to go look for bad guys!"
J "Okay" (shrugs his shoulders the way guys do like you just told him he had to play video games) - he dramatically takes up his search stance then declares "OH NO MACKENZIE!"
she interrupts "That's Princess Mackenzie"
he ignores her and continues on. "Look there's Kyle (another friend whose name I have changed)!"
M "GET HIM!!!"
J "STUPIFY! STUPIFY! STUPIFY!"
M "YESSSSSSS! You got him!"
J "Hey, you should thank me for protecting you"
she ignores him
J "OH NO! THERE'S HALLY! SPECIFICUS TOTALIS!"
M "JAAAAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKK! NO! NOT HALLY! YOU - ARE - PLAY-ING - THIS WRONG!!!" growls for emphasis - because, you know, Princesses growl, right?
And right at the moment - they left Friendship Island and turned into the Bickerson's, party of 2. Seeing that I needed to intervene, I went to my mom weapons depot, loaded up two pop up tunnels, and 26 one foot square alphabet foam blocks. I told them I thought they could make an obstacle course. They were very excited for the first few minutes when they had the same ideas. But then she wanted to put the letter 'Z' back in the foam outline, and he declared it was his....and they were off to the races again. Sigh...
I tried every trick I know to manage these two today - cooperation, reframing, using I statements, rationalization, democracy, problem solving.... - but each time, they were back at it again.
I finally gave up, and turned on TV. I can only handle so much bickering and intervening - and 90 minutes is apparently my max. I was done - but she was not. And then he started too.
Now I don't about your kids, but the models I own don't have the volume control upgrade. More than once I have searched their person for a volume control nob, and I'm telling you - these two just do not have one! I was hoping to at least get "Store Mode" installed by the age of 7, but so far the programming still needs tweaking. Neither of them seems to have easy access to "Sleep Mode" either, and the little one apparently came pre-programmed with a lengthy list of what I call "Bullshit reasons I can't go to bed". Don't worry - I only call them that to my husband (and now you). I prefer to just teach them the four letter words - not the seven letter ones. The little one also came with bite, kick, pinch and scratch mode which my oldest one does not have - or at least refuses to access despite parental encouragement to "hit her back". SO, I was particularly startled to find that they both have GPS and had apparently found the short cut to my LAST NERVE! I was just about to full on lose it myself - I think that t-shirt would be a picture of me having my own meltdown, and it would read "Got Parents? Want mine?".
Then blissfully, like a knight in shining armor, in walked my husband from work - and out walked I - right out the front door, to my car, and off to go get a massage. Don't worry, I kissed hubby before I left.
Amazingly, he was able to rally the two of them before I got home. I was very impressed at his ability to get the Bickerson's back to Friendship Island. Then he asked them to clean up the foam blocks - and they started in again. It was a little validating...okay, really validating...that it wasn't just with me. It was just one of those days..
Tomorrow is another day - and I see a long trip to the park in store so I can get them both to "Too tired to argue" mode. :)
The day started off just fine with our jaunt to high tea. You can read about that in my last post.
Then shortly after we got home, it just took a wrong turn!
Usually my two are buddies - no, I'm not just saying that. Typically they like to play together in the absence of other children. (If only I could find a way to keep spare children around my house - j/k). Since both hubby and I have ADHD, it should come as no surprise that both of our kids have it too! That's the beauty of ADHD though, you tend to forget things, sometimes important things, like that YOU have it. Well, we double dosed them in the DNA department. In hindsight, maybe not our best idea, but we wouldn't trade them for the world. Okay - some days....
Anyway, my oldest is active or exuberant as we like to say. He loved attention when he was younger - he especially loved a good audience. My youngest, like most babies, loved to be entertained. They were a match made in heaven - He could spin in circles and jump and make funny faces, and she would laugh and laugh. It's no wonder that she adores him to this day. However, despite another 4 years of growth, she still expects him (subconciously) to entertain her. If he isn't willing to oblige (sometimes he just wants a few minutes to himself - and don't we ALL know that feeling?) she takes matters into her own hands - sometimes its her feet too. She's mostly past the biting phase now.
I have a few weapons in my mom arsenal for really tough days like these. I hoard them like Weight Watchers chocolate ice cream bars until a desperate moment presents itself. Around 2 pm, just such a moment occurred.
They tried playing together - but she wanted to play princess, and he wanted play wizard. He offered to be her "wizard bodyguard" but she insisted that she did not NEED protection. Insert escalating moment here. He insisted that she did and she reluctantly agreed on the condition that she could order him around. I have to insert one extra factoid - she has a best friend - whom we'll call Hally (b/c I haven't asked Hally's parents if I can add her real name to this blog).
The game went like this:
M "You have to go look for bad guys!"
J "Okay" (shrugs his shoulders the way guys do like you just told him he had to play video games) - he dramatically takes up his search stance then declares "OH NO MACKENZIE!"
she interrupts "That's Princess Mackenzie"
he ignores her and continues on. "Look there's Kyle (another friend whose name I have changed)!"
M "GET HIM!!!"
J "STUPIFY! STUPIFY! STUPIFY!"
M "YESSSSSSS! You got him!"
J "Hey, you should thank me for protecting you"
she ignores him
J "OH NO! THERE'S HALLY! SPECIFICUS TOTALIS!"
M "JAAAAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKK! NO! NOT HALLY! YOU - ARE - PLAY-ING - THIS WRONG!!!" growls for emphasis - because, you know, Princesses growl, right?
And right at the moment - they left Friendship Island and turned into the Bickerson's, party of 2. Seeing that I needed to intervene, I went to my mom weapons depot, loaded up two pop up tunnels, and 26 one foot square alphabet foam blocks. I told them I thought they could make an obstacle course. They were very excited for the first few minutes when they had the same ideas. But then she wanted to put the letter 'Z' back in the foam outline, and he declared it was his....and they were off to the races again. Sigh...
I tried every trick I know to manage these two today - cooperation, reframing, using I statements, rationalization, democracy, problem solving.... - but each time, they were back at it again.
I finally gave up, and turned on TV. I can only handle so much bickering and intervening - and 90 minutes is apparently my max. I was done - but she was not. And then he started too.
Now I don't about your kids, but the models I own don't have the volume control upgrade. More than once I have searched their person for a volume control nob, and I'm telling you - these two just do not have one! I was hoping to at least get "Store Mode" installed by the age of 7, but so far the programming still needs tweaking. Neither of them seems to have easy access to "Sleep Mode" either, and the little one apparently came pre-programmed with a lengthy list of what I call "Bullshit reasons I can't go to bed". Don't worry - I only call them that to my husband (and now you). I prefer to just teach them the four letter words - not the seven letter ones. The little one also came with bite, kick, pinch and scratch mode which my oldest one does not have - or at least refuses to access despite parental encouragement to "hit her back". SO, I was particularly startled to find that they both have GPS and had apparently found the short cut to my LAST NERVE! I was just about to full on lose it myself - I think that t-shirt would be a picture of me having my own meltdown, and it would read "Got Parents? Want mine?".
Then blissfully, like a knight in shining armor, in walked my husband from work - and out walked I - right out the front door, to my car, and off to go get a massage. Don't worry, I kissed hubby before I left.
Amazingly, he was able to rally the two of them before I got home. I was very impressed at his ability to get the Bickerson's back to Friendship Island. Then he asked them to clean up the foam blocks - and they started in again. It was a little validating...okay, really validating...that it wasn't just with me. It was just one of those days..
Tomorrow is another day - and I see a long trip to the park in store so I can get them both to "Too tired to argue" mode. :)
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