Why Does Everything Embarrassing Happen in Public?

Specifically Trader Joe’s. Because let’s be honest, she could totally do these things at home but it never goes down that way.

I should start by saying that having a four year old is currently OWNING me. Anyone who said that the terrible two’s were bad obviously has only had one child who is still two and hasn’t had the lovely experience of dealing with a four year old. Don’t get me wrong, I love my child too much to even describe but GAHHHHH!!!! The attitude, the talking back, the sass, are out of CONTROL. Not to mention the fact that I feel like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster every day. I’ve literally never seen a single person cycle through so many emotions in such a short duration, like 10 minutes (I’m being generous, it’s more like 5 minutes). And yes, I discipline in a way that’s appropriate for her age and all of those things, I just know that this is currently a season and it’s not a season I’m enjoying overall.

Gone is my little girl with the occasional meltdown, replaced with a child who has a HUGE opinion and is articulate to a scary degree. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still the sweetest, kindest and most compassionate child I’ve ever met, but wow when she turns Dr. Jekyll she goes FULL ON.

One of the biggest things we’ve been contending with is the selective listening and follow through (yes this is a four year old and yes I know I’m screwed when she’s a teenager). I feel like I repeat myself SO much and now I truly understand why by the time you’ve repeated yourself 22 times, you’re not longer speaking in a calm tone of voice.

But of course the one time you don’t want them to listen is the time they actually listen. We were in a rush, granted that’s how I live my life lately, and I realized after I got my purse in the car that my keys were in my purse in the car and I almost locked myself out of my car. Thank goodness for fancy fangled key FOBS that won’t allow that to happen. Of course I was frustrated by the maneuver I pulled and uttered an “oh crap”, not even realizing that the kid was RIGHT THERE.

Yes I know there are worse curse words that can be uttered, but of course this was the one that Grace decided not only to repeat but to repeat on repeat. Of course in this moment she decided to become a parrot and then when I told her that only grown ups can say those words, she started in with “But I like crap”, “Crap is my favorite”, “Mommy don’t you like crap?”.

Insert smack my face emoji here. OF COURSE. She can’t seem to listen to anything I say, she can’t seem to do anything I ask without me getting upset but this one thing she nails on the first attempt.

Side note, yes she did stop but not without some convincing.

My Kid is a Back Seat Driver

Apologies to anyone who lives near us. I’m serious. I shouldn’t be surprised that this is even happening. My kid is the WORST back seat driver, and while I love my husband, she completely gets it from him.

At first I didn’t believe it. My parents were watching her while I worked one morning and while she gave them a tour of our little town, she apparently also yelled (from her car seat) at a person using the cross walk because they weren’t crossing quickly enough. For her liking at least. Which is when I really wish I had that emoji in this blog of a girl hitting herself in the face. Because that’s what I feel like.

But that incident was months ago so I thought it was a fluke thing, this wasn’t regular behavior and I had nothing to worry about.

Until today. When I was stopped at a red light that was apparently not changing fast enough and Grace (again from the car seat) started yelling that she didn't like red lights and green lights meant go, so she needed a green light NOW. NOW. NOW.

You know those moments as a parent when you’re thinking well I really need to handle this but she can’t see me laugh because it’s going to positively reinforce the negative behavior? That’s how I felt. That’s exactly how I felt.

Sometimes it would be so much easier to be a stern parent if she wasn’t so funny all the time.

The Chaos of the Day

I feel like every single parent can relate to this, regardless of whether or not you work outside the home. The days can be so crazy. Especially since I currently work a split shift on the days when the kiddo goes to school. So it's a rat race at its finest when work is over for the morning, getting the kiddo from school, getting the kiddo a snack, getting the dogs organized (and myself if I'm lucky), and then heading back to work. I know you get this. Making sure dinner is ready, everyone is happy, everyone has had lunch and all those things.

Needless to say most of those days, I'm exhausted. It was a random Tuesday, it was hot out, I was over it. I grabbed the kiddo from school, came home, got her a second lunch, got the dogs organized, and went upstairs to get the kiddo ready for her nap.

I don't know what was in air that day...but the energy was literally kinetic for everyone in my house except me and I was OVER IT. We were all in my room, getting the kiddo in her jammies so she could be comfy for her rest, and I remember sitting on my floor watching my kiddo run from the closet to the bed so she could jump onto the bed on one side of me, and the dogs wrestle like maniacs on the other side of me.

It was serious chaos. LOUD chaos. The child running like a banshee and screaming like a crazy girl, the dogs growling and wrestling with each other and me sitting in the middle of it. 

I took a deep breath and just sat and watched these beings in my life living their best lives and having a blast doing it. I took another deep breath and said a little prayer of gratitude that my circus is happy and healthy and able to be loud and chaotic, and said another prayer that I could let go of my poor attitude and live in the moment a little more. Because I know the day will come sooner than I want it to when the pups are older and won't wrestle, and the kiddo won't want to be running around like a banshee.

So I let go of my negativity and poor attitude, became the Tickle Monster and jumped right into the chaos.