Mamaspointofview

  It's been three weeks of the new school term and everyone is settling into their new routines. A few things are different this term as I have another pre-teen starting high school, rucksacks are out handbags are in, apparently all the girls in year 7 have handbags. The PROBLEM with handbags is that they can’t fit things in as well as a rucksack, and this point was proven when she now realises a separate bag is needed for her PE kit, this in itself isn’t an issue if A: she remembered to bring her PE kit bag and B: the bag of choice could fit all her PE kit in. This dilemma has led to having to borrow trainers when kit was forgotten (she couldn’t squeeze them into the drawstring bag) and then leaving her school shoes at school, three weeks into the new term! three weeks! To top it off despite her protests that she has looked everywhere for the lost shoes, she can't find them. To clarify her definition of looking for things is glancing into a room from a distance and then sayi...

  I s it too much to ask to come home from work and expect your living room to look the same as how you left it in the morning, and do the children plus husband have to leave a trail of things from the front door traipsing all over the house? “A place for everything and everything in its place” Not in my home, coats, shoes, bags, and the odd foot of socks belong in piles, in corners of rooms, or in one big heap. Cups, bowls, and plates belong under in, and around beds, and keys, phones and general things of importance grow legs and walk.. To add insult to injury everyone gets upset with me when I’m then shouting about this (well not shouting but talking loudly) at everyone to put away their belongings that belong to them, not me, and put them where they belong. Then one child always the same child says flippantly while passing me and the piles of mess “If you want it tidy why don’t you do it yourself”

Your 11-year-old child is over an hour and a half late home from school, strolls in, and tries to explain that a fifteen-minute bike ride took over an hour. (left out the fact that they were gossiping with friends) no remorse just a flippant shoulder shrug, then gets upset with you! When you explain that’s not a good enough response or explanation, and then she says “whats with your attitude?” who is the parent here?  These new breed of children are something else.

  Have I misunderstood the assignment here? When your child gets upset with you, huffing, puffing, and tutting because when she is going out, we bother her with questions like, where are you going? and who with? then to top it all off we give a reasonable time to come home. Really, my girl is lucky she is allowed back outside at all.

  At what age is it inappropriate for a child to Wee in his welly? Then put it back on the shoe rack only to be discovered later when I’m tidying up and a boot full of wee-wee spills out…anyone? Just my six-year-old then.

  You’ve spent a few weeks researching, looking at costs, searching for deals and you finally book your family activity, it’s going to be so much fun. A small fortune has been spent but you just know its going to be worth every penny. Five minutes in to said activity and one of the children utters the words guaranteed to upset any parent and write off the whole day. “Im bored” (Bloody feisty)

What to do when you’re in the middle of a car journey dropping your hormonal, argumentative preteen off at Grandma's house in the middle of the night, because you have had a falling out, you have completely run out of patience and in that moment you realise we can’t both stay under this roof tonight. On second thoughts with the current prices of petrol and the fact your car is already on a quarter tank is going to grandmas the best idea? You spin the car around and journey back in silence (well not exactly silence you and said preteen are both still muttering/venting under your breaths) we get back home and go to bed. Things will be better in the morning. When you wake up still annoyed about the previous night's incidents, it’s not what my girl said that really upsets you but the way she said it—the sass and conviction, the pitch and tone of her voice, the actual audacity. But you pause, exhale, and let it go. It’s a new day, and we are too blessed to be stressed. Again!