A Mental Pick-Me-Up
Today is not what I would call a “good day.” Jude woke up around 7:20am, and within seconds was whining and crying and screaming and making me want to shove screwdrivers in my ears. Getting out of the house and to the park was a HUGE ordeal. Playtime was marked with bouts of crying and whining. I’m exhausted, both physically and mentally. As soon as the twelve o’clock hour rolls around, I’m going to go to town on the bottle of wine that’s calling to me from my kitchen counter.
What I want to do it bitch and moan about staying at home every day with the boy. I want to garner sympathy from others who understand what a tough job being a mom (or dad!) is. I want to quit, go into my bedroom, shut the door, curl up on the bed and have myself a good cry. But I won’t.
What I’m going to do instead is tell you all about my fantastic son and the things he does that make me smile.
He watches The Incredibles daily. He requests “Movie!” and “‘Corn!” each and every day. And while that piece of information might make you want to throw him into the “Couch Potato” category, I beg you not to. Instead, come over one afternoon and watch as he runs around, in a circle, for what seems like hours on end. Watch as he runs down the hall yelling “I FAST!” and “RUN!” Listen to him as he tells you all about Dash and Jack-Jack and about the rocket he waits patiently to see in the latter half of the film.
Jude likes to practice “oga” with me (yoga, for those who aren’t fluent in ‘toddler’). He asks for the oga video and intermittently mimics the instructor on the screen. He likes to do Downward Dog and Warrior II beside me on my sticky mat. He really likes to climb on top of me when I’m in Plank or crawl underneath me while I try my hardest to do Cat.
Puzzles. Puzzles are Jude’s new favorite indoor toys. My mom got him a few when we went to visit Scranton in May, and Jude is finally taking to them. One of the puzzles has a piece for each letter of the alphabet with a picture of an item beginning with each letter. A-Airplane, B-Books, C-Crown… You get the idea. Usually after nap time, Jude drags my yoga mat over to the far end of the living room, grabs his puzzles, lies down and matches puzzle piece to corresponding picture. Sometimes he asks for my help, other times he’s content to play on his own.
And finally, he naps. Nap time makes me smile. During nap time I can catch up on sleep or read the many blogs I love but tend to neglect. During nap time I can enjoy a cuppa or a piece of cake. During nap time I can read. Or, I can write a blog post…
Cheers!
What a lovely description of your little man. And although he sometimes whines and fusses, I know these days with you are going to be foundational, fond childhood memories for him.
I’m a very proud husband and father right now; you have no idea.
yes. I hear you. Although i work part time, many days and nights are just me and my little one. Hard? Absolutely. Want to scream? Absolutely. But she is smart and talkative and makes me laugh. So the screaming that she does is only a part of our day. Some days it is worse than others. But we are mommy and we take the brunt of it all
Thanks, everyone. Today was tough–I feel like I truly failed at being the mom I want to be and the mom that Jude deserves to have. But, tomorrow I’ll try again and hopefully do better.
Didn’t read this till after we hung out today — but I really appreciate your honesty with where you are with raising Jude. There are days when it just seems like its “not working”. Glad to know after some reflection – there’s a deeper sense of gratitude in ya for where you are in life – being a mom or dad is one of the greatest roles we can ever play in life. You guys are both great at it!
Harry Potter is so much better in book form…horray for imagination…
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