I’m continuously amazed by the apparent paradox that I love my children and hate motherhood. I know that this is something I’ll look back on and regret terribly. Why do I know this? Because I already sit around beating myself up for not doing more gazing at them while they were infants or sitting on the floor with them and playing with blocks or some baloney while they were toddlers. But it was just so freaking boring! It’s getting better as they get older, truly. They’re actually funny and fun now. But the sad truth is that I’m completely irritated with them multiple times a day. And I’m pretty sure that’s normal. But it certainly doesn’t seem right.
So it amazes me how, while giving the little monsters a bath, I can be so close to yanking Elfie out and tossing her into bed while she’s still covered in shampoo because she must, yes must, have the ability to acquire soap bubbles on her hands. And then ten minutes later, we can be sharing a lovely moment, reading a book about underpants, and snuggling together in the same bed I was just going to toss her into. See how they do that? Survival of the species, artistically applied.
Tammy Soong is a writer, wife, and mom from Reno, Nevada. She takes an absurd amount of pain medication, but not enough to have actually named her children "Newt" and "Elfie." She spends most days stressing out over clutter, writing stuff for this place, and working on podcasts with her gal pals, the Blogging Betties.
these are all very cute and precious, Sunny. Each and every one of them!
Ah, yes, I can relate – today I had a conversation with “Katie” that consisted of the ever so irritating mom (me) saying, if you want to ride your tricycle, you have to wear a helmet. Whereupon Katie said, in an oh so lovely whinny voice, “but I don’t like helmets.” To which I said, well, make your choice – helmet or get off your tricycle. To which she replied, “but I don’t like helmets.” This was repeated no less that 20 times. Have I mentioned that all this is going on while I was blocking her from passing me on the tricycle? And the entire time, she kept trying to edge around me? How did this lovely moment end without me killing my child? By her suddenly putting on a cutsie face and consenting to the helmet – and then playing so sweetly with her sisters. So, she is still alive…. survival of the fittest (or something!)