Mommy Meltdown

I'm hiding on my front porch bench right now.  Literally, hiding from the crazies.  I'm hoping my blog reading friends are forgiving enough to know the truth of today...and the reason I'm hiding.  I almost had a mommy meltdown.  You know when a two-year old has a temper tantrum where they are kicking and screaming, hair is a mess, drool running, tears streaming, screaming their head off kind of tantrum?  Yeah, well, if it was socially acceptable...I might just have had one myself today.  BUT - it isn't.  So...instead, I'm hiding...from my children.  Those two little beings that I birthed...although, I might have denied it if I was asked today...  Good thing no one asked.  They could probably tell that they should just steer clear and keep quiet. (Too bad my kids couldn't read this on my face as well and follow suit.)

Fighting and bickering was the name of the game today.  Neither kid could do something without the other being irritated.  Sure, we have our bickering moments, but today was different.  Naps didn't even cure this day of attitudes.  I now understand the phrase, "Put a sock in it."  I wish I could have said it to them.  I didn't.  I tried all of my mom tricks. To no avail.  They just didn't want to play nice today, share, eat, or talk nicely to each other.  At one point in the car I even said to them, "Myles, look out the window and pretend Jillian is not in the car.  Jillian, look out the window and pretend Myles is not in the car."  At Target, I employed the typically successful Who Can Be The Quietest Game.  It worked for a few minutes, until they decided to argue about who was going to be the "director" of the game.

Why am I telling you all of this?  Well, first of all, this whining session is some sort of therapeutic technique that if my fingers fly over the computer whining to you...I can get over it quicker and put my smile face on and return to the family (who "threatened" that my hiding was going to end in a hide and seek game...so I am racing against the clock).  Second, I know at some point in parenting, you have probably had a day like today.  We are not alone.  Some days are not as good as others.  You know, Ben always holds up three fingers during stressful times with the kids as a symbolic head thump indicating I am crazy to want a third.  Today, I would agree.  I am holding up his mocking three fingers...right now.

About an hour ago, Jillian asked if I was having a good day.  "No, you two have been fighting all day." I replied.  "Well, we are not right now."  I proceeded to ask her if she had a good day.  She said she did.  She must have been lost in her imagination this afternoon, because it wasn't pleasant.  I'm guess I'm glad the bickering didn't ruin her day.

I'm so glad tomorrow is a new day.

Thanks for reading my therapy session.  I'm ready to return to the reality called parenthood.  Amazing how 12 minutes and I am refreshed.  I guess I would recommend a Mommy Timeout next time you have a day like I did today...it prevented the more dramatic Mommy Meltdown.