I have been at this parenting thing for quite a while. At least it feels that way some days–nearly twenty years. And, while it usually feels fresh, different, and unpredictable, I have to admit that sometimes I get bored with hearing my own voice, dealing with predictable personality quirks and some things just get mighty OLD…
We talk about keeping kids active and helping them keep from getting bored during the summer months–but I have to tell you–I get bored with having to step over wet towels, coordinate divergent schedules, and wait up yet again for a teen who’s missed curfew. The next time one of my kids tells me that he or she is bored, I’m wondering what would happen if I confessed that “I’m bored too!”
I’m bored with bickering at family meetings, dirty dishes in the sink, and wads of stinky socks by the back door. I’m really bored with opening the washing machine to do a load of wash and finding that a teenager has left a wet, washed load to turn sour in the drum so that it needs to be washed again (delaying my chore). I’m bored with “Mom, I’m running late,” and “Do you have any money?” I’m bored with having to buy a gallon of milk a day and going to make myself a sandwich only to have to rummage for two mismatching heals left in crumpled bags in the bread drawer.
I’m pretty bored with last-minute requests, great made-up dramatic emergencies, packs of teenage friends who show up unannounced and scarf down the kitchen–leaving puddles of beverages, dried chunks of grated cheese on the counters, and dirty pans across the stove. I’m bored with being called “Mu-ther!” and finding all sorts of things stuffed in between the cushions of the living room furniture.
So, what’s the solution to a mother who gets extraordinarily bored by the end of the summer–mostly bored with hearing the barking, nagging sound of her own maternal voice?!
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