You know those days where nothing goes as planned? Do days ever go as planned when you’re a parent? Forgot about strategic planning its about being innovative in the moment, right?! As parents we are constantly thinking outside, inside, on top of, under and even on the side of the box. As much as I know this I am sometimes the first in line to get my ticket to Pity Town.
My middle son was sick late Sunday evening and I kept him home from school. I enjoyed taking care of him and I took advantage of this by getting extra hugs and kisses. Normally he says he is too old to be showered in hugs or kisses by mom. I felt bad because I couldn’t miss class and I felt horrible that I had to leave my son with my teenager. Not that there is anything wrong with my teenager he is very responsible, it was that I should have taken care of him. I took the toddler to the sitters but I couldn’t bring my sick child there. I felt annoyed leaving my sick kid, going to school, leaving my teenager in charge, not having copious amounts off coffee before I left. I was standby ready to purchase my ticket to Pity Town.
When I was in class my teenager texted me over and over, As my professor was going over the materials. Mind you the first day of class we are told if our cellphone becomes a distraction we are asked to leave the class and we get a % off our participation for that day. I’m already not on the greatest terms with my professor and I missed a presentation last week. BUZZ BUZZ BUZZZZ is the only sound you heard. I was trying to text as I was taking notes, clearly you can see I am not good at multitasking. What the text should have read; I am in class is this an ER?
I finally had to step outside call my son and tell him that I would handle this HUGE issue when I got home. I told him I couldn’t talk and had to get back to class. I texted him after I hung up confirming that that I would handle the situation when I got home. Since I couldn’t talk he decided to call me to continue the conversation, I had to send a text asking if he was ok.
Since mom can’t talk or text he thought if he sent me a video explaining his side of the argument that would be ok. The HUGE issue you ask, my middle son didn’t want to read. He wanted to lay on the sofa and just veg out after doing a huge abdominal workout by vomiting. Clearly I wasn’t being as militant as I should have been and my lack of leaderships skills upset my teenager. How could I let his brother slack off, when he is required to do his homework? Why should his brother get a hall pass, clearly he felt he needed to man up.
After I got out of class I got a text that my boys were hungry, I didn’t feel like being a short order cook when I got home so I stopped by the place that is next to my school. I was trying to make small talk;
Me: You saved me from having to make another meal tonight.
Real Short order cook: Next time use a crockpot
Me: (Clearly I pissed him off after ordering and handing him a buy one get one free coupon) Or come in without a coupon next time?
Real Short order cook: Deer in headlight stare with evil eye twitch
For the next fifteen minutes as I was waiting for my Greek food, I was schooled on the correct way to say Gyro. That was the tzatziki sauce on the pita, and after that the conversation was a bit more pleasant.
By the time I got home it was peaceful nothing was wrong with the world according to my boys. Maybe it had to do something with mom having a bag full of food? That always seems to be the cure. I was so happy that I had the buy one get one free coupon as my middle son, clearly got the free one….it was money well spent on my teenager. My middle son met the fate again of the porcelain throne.
It was too late to take a trip to Pity Town, party due to being exhausted. I still had my bags packed by the door.
Tuesday morning and my son is crying that he needs a kale and orange smoothie. Anyone who knows my middle son would know that this is delirious babble. As his favorite vegetable is a french fry!
I take him to the doctor and he is ordered to stay home for one more day. The doctor said how happy she is that he is drinking kale smoothies. Erm…at that moment I bet she wished he didn’t’ have that orange and kale smoothie. My son’s stomach was probably in agreement with the latter statement.
My day went like this
Boy: Mommy I’m hungry please make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Boy: Are you sure you put jelly on this sandwich? (looks at sandwich) Oh ok I see it, next time can you put the jelly on both sides of the bread.
Boy: Mommy my stomach hurts
Boy: Mommy the good news is I made it to the bathroom, the bad news is its all over the floor.
Boy: I’m hungry again!
Boy: I don’t want water I want something to eat.
Boy: Mommy which should I do first, vomit or #2. Do you have a bucket incase I need to do it at the same time because I can’t choose?
Boy: Mommy I don’t remember eating this, can you look at this?
Boy: Please mommy I need to eat I’m hungry please make me something to eat.
Boy: Mommy I should have listened to you, I’m so sorry. I put the lysol and clorox in the bathroom for you so you don’t have to make an extra trip to the bathroom to clean it.
Boy: Mommy if you febreze the sofa it won’t smell that bad.
Forget the ticket to Pity Town, I exchanged my ticket for a first class ticket on the Crazy train!
In my heart I was upset and tired. I wasn’t able to study, I had to pick my other two kids from school, make dinner, help with their homework, take kids to other activities, clean up from dinner, pack lunches,
give baths, do laundry, clean, clean and clean! This is not how I anticipated my day, I felt bad for my sickie and I don’t like seeing my boys in pain or not feeling well. What parent does?
Then it happened, the train stopped in its tracks….
Boy: Mommy I want to thank you for taking care of me. You are the best mommy in the world and I like being in your arms when I am not feeling well. I like how you take care of me. I love you so much you’re the best.
My heart melted and the rest didn’t matter. I am so blessed to have boys, as long as I have them it doesn’t matter what happens or what the day entails. Its all about perspective and I thank God for that!
It might not have been my perfectly planned day, what does perfectly planned look like again when you have kids? Its all perfectly planned down to the vomit, its perspective. The little things in life the moments that we take for granted the moments we will be yearning for when we close our eyes and blink. When we are forced to fast forward 10 years wishing for those times (maybe not the vomit) when our life was chaos. Or what we thought chaos was. When in actuality its what we all signed up for as parents. I don’t want to get off this ride, Pity train yes, crazy train well that comes with the territory with three boys. I am ALL for getting ABOARD the crazy train with my boys even if they are the conductors!
