If you are the parent of more than one child you can probably relate to the issue of there always being at least one who is “keeping you on your toes.” That is my nice way of saying that one of your children is giving you a run for your money.
It seems like there is hardly a day where all three of my children aren’t presenting some type of “issue.” Of course, I guess that has to be expected. After all, when you have two in middle school and one in high school hormones are bound to run amuck.
Needless to say everyday is at least interesting and while some are more challenging than others, I am hopeful that I can catch a break here.
Parenting is never easy and while I like to think there are a hundred things I do right, I know there are probably a hundred things I do wrong. I ended up going to bed last night feeling guilty about one of those things I did wrong.
One particular child of mine has been especially challenging the past few days. The minute this child has gotten into the van after school it would start. I was very thankful yesterday when my husband was off work and volunteered to pick the kids up for me so I could keep working.
I also knew it would be a break from dealing with that child. I couldn’t help but wish that my husband would get a taste of what I go through, just so he knew I wasn’t exaggerating.
Eventually everyone comes home and I emerge from my office to greet everyone. I gave warm hugs and hellos to the kids, asking how their day was. My currently “challenging” child sulked past me. I knew immediately that something had happened in the van. I chose to ignore that child and didn’t even bother to give a greeting.
My husband told me what happened, which only satisfied me for a moment because I got my wish. He was able to experience what I have been experiencing. I felt so frustrated with my child that to be completely honest, we barely had any communication the rest of the day.
Now before you think me a monster, I had just finally reached my point of exasperation. Nothing we were doing to correct the problem was working. I was done…checked out. Have you ever checked out on your child? If you haven’t kudos to you but I am going to be honest here and say that I did.
So when I finally lay down at the end of the night, I thought back on the day and the old guilt trip began to arise. I knew it probably wasn’t the best way to handle things but I was at a loss. So I went upstairs and gave my child a hug. While it didn’t take away from how the day had played out, it made me feel somewhat better and hopefully made my child feel better.
Today is a brand new day. Yes, the same challenges may still be there but I will press on. When have you experienced a time of checking out on your child?
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