Honesty is the best policy

You know those parents who never complain about their kids or the struggles of being a parent? Yeah, I am not one of those. And I laugh at the ones that are. What are they hiding and what are they trying to prove? I am a mom of two toddlers and at times, I DO feel like a failure. I wouldn't think it would feel normal to feel otherwise at times. How else should I feel when I have a two year old who seems defiant and a one year old who is into everything? That is the stage they are at and I have to accept it and embrace it. That is part of parenting. I need to practice patients. BUT there are those struggles, and I will be the first to admit I struggle and I am not ashamed of that, that I seek to other parents for advice or suggestions. We have entered the terrible two stage and on top of that, we have a co-sleeper who beats us up in the middle of the night. So we signed up for parenting classes. It isn't going to hurt to get extra advice or hear what other parents with children our kids ages are doing. Class is going great and we are learning a lot from an infant/toddler Specialist and Parent Educator. It is very interesting and it reminds me of everything I forgot I learned in childhood development (psychology course) in college. I didn't really need to know that stuff back then right? ha

Well cutting to the point of this post. There was one man in class tonight that really annoyed me. Annoyed doesn't even begin to describe him. He was telling a story about a woman he saw at a stop light with what looked like a 3 and 4 year old in the back seat. She was screaming at them. He just couldn't understand what could be so bad that a parent was screaming at their children. "Seriously, what in life is that bad that she had to scream at them? It can't be that bad" I am thinking to myself (oh is there something wrong with me? I yell a lot). Then the instructor giggled and said, "sir, I promise you will be that parent one day for some moment." BUT no, he kept going on how he could never yell at a child. I seriously wanted to walk over and smack him across the face. Scott wanted to slash his tires. Lets back up. He is also the man who said last week he expects to come home to a clean house and dinner ready on the table. Yes I would love to have a clean house all of the time and dinner on the table is nice but not always possible. I was probably the woman he saw at the stop light. I probably just got hit in the head with a sippy cup full of juice almost knocking me out and the cup rolling under the brake pedal and me thinking I am about to kill us all because I cannot break. Yes that has happened. And yes, that was probably me screaming. There is your reason.

I laugh at those parents who do not admit struggle or say they don't lose it every once in a while. You wouldn't be normal in my eyes :) I love Dr. Laura. And I will share her trick that works when you feel at that breaking point. And don't tell me you never feel that way! Turn on the radio and dance. That is why Scott, or should I say William, got me an iPod. For those moments when you get so stressed out, just crank it up and dance. The kids love it and it releases that frustration! It works.