4 posts tagged “parenting”

Taking YouTube requests from the kids is a pretty common thing for us. In fact, when they even see me just sit down near the laptop they surround me, hurling search terms out in the air - Spiderman! Barbie! Me! Lightning McQueen! Hannah Montana! Charlie Bit Me! Funny Videos!

It actually can be a lot of fun. We all really crack up over Charlie Bit My Finger and the other night we watched some boy talk about his cool Spiderman action figures for six minutes. (That one wasn't a blast for me but Nate was totally into it.) That same night, we ventured into a few "Lightning McQueen" videos. That's when we saw a cute picture of a Beagle puppy labeled, "Talking Puppy!!" Of course, I clicked on it. 

The clip was fine for the first few seconds but then - well - you can just watch it and see for yourself.

Yeah. Not the best thing for the kids to see, especially right before bed when that's pretty much the last thing they'll see for that day. I told them it was pretend and that it was just some guy who was wearing a lot of scary makeup for Halloween. That, plus a few more "innocent" Spidey and Barbie videos, seemed to help them forget about the crazy man screaming at them as they were trying to watch the dang puppy say "I love you!"

Of course, I've known you never know what you're going to get with YouTube vids but my cockiness with my searching and selecting ability got the best of me. I guess I'll just have to screen the videos the best I can before pressing play.

There is no pretty way to share this.  If you have a weak stomach or just don't feel like reading about this subject, I understand if you skip this post.  I really wouldn't want to read it either but misery loves company and all of that so here it is.

Since being a mom, I have heard, "Mommy, I threw up on myself" maybe four times.  Each time, I heard the voice before I saw the helpless child.  Each time, my brain had a few seconds to imagine the worst and, luckily for all involved, it wasn't so bad.  That is, until tonight.

Man, was she covered.  Well, more like caked. Ech.  There she stood, frozen, arms out, pasted in clumps of chunk. She wasn't even the worst of it.  The bed, the tent on her bed, her beloved stuffed creatures (including her precious doggy Andrew sent her from Iraq when she was a baby), all of her special blankeys and her Barbie she fondly calls "Hannah Montana."  Poor Barbie/Hannah.  She was really caught in the cross fire.  There probably was an outline on the bed where she was because she took the brunt of it.

Are you still with me?

I just find it so amazing what we all are capable of as parents.  From the stomach-turning throw up situations like tonight to the horrifying time they sampled poop as a snack (what, that hasn't happened to you?), what prepared us for this?  I find it incredible that we go into parent-mode and take care of business.  I mean, really?  Andrew will get sick at just the thought of throw up (he probably did just by reading this - if he did read it that is) and he took all of her sheets off of her bed.  I touched vomit.  Lots of it.  With my bare hands.

We just do what we have to do I guess.  If we don't who will right?  It's not like I can say, "Nope.  I'm not going to fix that right now."  I'm proud to say my hands smell like bleach, Nia is clean and sleeping in a fresh bed and I only threw away her p.j. shirt and pillow.  (If we were made of money the sheets would likely be trashed too.)   

"This too shall pass."  I know it's a quote/saying/belief that is commonly used in times of mourning or hardship but for some reason it feels good for me to apply it to where I am right now.

I know it could always be worse but I've been having a really hard time dealing with the difficulties of raising a 4 year old and a 2 year old.  And I'm not talking about just a few incidents here or there with them. I can handle that fine (or at least I think I can).  What's really getting to me is the constant fighting between the two of them, Nia giving me major 'tude whenever I try to talk to her about her actions and Nate's aggressive behavior that doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Right now the major thing that's getting me through this is knowing that I will get through it.  I realize that it is just a stage and it will eventually end.  I also realize, however, that after it ends, another stage will start! Hopefully, it will be the sharing, caring and listening stage. I can dream right?

Sometimes I just don't understand people.  They pass judgment left and right but never look at themselves with those same eyes.  Here's my beef -

I've been trying to check out more and more blogs written by moms - partly because I'm looking for people who are going through the same things I am so I know I'm not the only one and partly because I am curious about how other people write about/capture their experiences. (You know, the whole art of it all and stuff.) 

Well, I kind of wish I would have stuck to my old reliables!  I feel so dirty to have cheated on you!  And for what?  So I could get all pissed off after reading one mom's opinions?  In one post she talks about how she's banned The Little Mermaid from her house because Ariel is an anti-feminist who gives up her legs, her voice and her family after just seeing a man who's twice her age.  The mom thinks she's being a good parent to keep something like that from her children.  Fast forward a few blogs later where she posts pics of herself with her laptop on her lap and her sleeping child (appears to be between one and two years old) sleeping on her stomach right next to the computer.  I'm sorry, but before you go and say you are such a good parent by shielding your kids from the bad example that is The Little Mermaid, shouldn't you consider the example you're setting by choosing your computer over your child? 

Now, I'm not saying using the computer around our kids is wrong.  (Please, I'm totally guilty of that and in some cases, people are paid to have their computers around all the time.)  My main issue with this mom is that she doesn't see how skewed her thinking/actions are.  It's cute to have my child drooling on my computer but not cute to have them enjoy a Disney classic? Besides, what about what Prince Eric did for Ariel?  He sacrificed his life to save hers and fell in love with her even when she didn't have a freakin' voice!  Now it may just be I'm feeling all passionate about this because I love my girl Ariel!  Sure, there are some days when I wish I hadn't shared my love of Disney movies with Nia at such an early age (she already has every princess doll) but then I think why not?  THEY ARE MOVIES AND MOVIE CHARACTERS.  I mean, if my child thinks that the only way to deal with someone who is different or a confrontation is by grabbing pitch forks and torches while singing "Kill the Beast!" or the only way to get what they want is by going to see a gigantic witch octopus then I have a lot more to blame than a movie. 

What's really messed up about all of this - if it wasn't for her dissing my BFF Ariel - I probably would have thought the picture of her child sleeping next to her computer was cute too!  I'm a total psycho!