Lately I've had a whole bunch of bad real mom moments. I wasn't going to share them, but life is not all about the sweet and fun moments, so I gotta be honest. Besides, I'm sure it will make all of you feel better, since I know you never do anything similar!
1)
Sometimes I feel so sad when I look at Xander's face. I know his red spots are going to fade in time, and I should be happy that he's otherwise a very healthy baby boy, but I don't want him to have these blemishes, and I get embarrassed about them.
2)
My parents asked Eamon who was smarter in his class...him or his cousin Tommy. They weren't asking to provoke anything, it's just that Eamon used to always talk about how smart Tommy was. Eamon answered that of course, Tommy was smarter, and then my mom told Eamon he was just as smart! For some reason, I blurted out "Well, Tommy can read and Eamon can't" right in front of Eamon. As if that kid needs anyone thinking less of him. He just turned 5 for crying out loud.
3)
Speaking of saying stupid things....sometimes I catch myself admitting that we had tried for a sister for Maggie but ended up with another boy. Why would I ever be disappointed with little Xander? He's the perfect addition to our family, and frankly, boys are easier!
4)
Last night John-Paul and Andrew got in a little fight while the babysitter was here. She told us about it, it was nothing big and we actually laughed when we heard the story (which involved brushing hair with a toothbrush and a shower curtain falling). This morning, Andrew kept asking what we were going to take away from him and J-P as a punishment. We weren't planning on punishing them at all, but since they asked for it, we took away ten minutes from their show tonight. Then J-P said that we were awesome parents because other kids in his third grade class get grounded. Geesh, are we too easy on them?
5)
I find myself constantly yelling at telling the older kids to be quiet while the baby is sleeping. You'd think the fifth child would be able to sleep through anything, but he's totally a light sleeper. Which is not the fault of the older kids, and I need to relax.
6) My kids eat McDonald's once a week.
Phew, that felt really good to get all that off my chest.
If you dare...spill your not-so-perfect mothering moments with me!
You are a trip :) I love all those moments because I'm almost positive I relate to all of them!! Elena had red bumps all over her face I was so sad they didn't clear by her baptism. She survived it but I always felt a little embarrassed for her??? Silly.
ReplyDeleteAnd no child ever developed a disorder from getting yelled at...I think. I don't know what my nervous tick is when I heard things drop but I doubt it's from getting yelled at ;) HAHA!!!
Thanks for keeping it all real. ALL normal stuff you got going on here.
ReplyDeleteMy second son has a mole right in the center of his upper lip. I want it off. He loves it. He says, He wouldn't be Jonah without it. I think people will make fun of him....but what do I know.
I love that head of that sleeping baby boy. I miss those precious baby moments.
Phew. See, now don't you feel better? :) I think more moms need to be honest about those real mom moments so that we all stop comparing ourselves to the other 'perfect' moms.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, if my pregnant brain wasn't so darn tired I could list the many, many real mom moments that happen here....but where would I even begin?
Like how Lily's 'V' birthmark on her forehead bothers me when it flares up and is very noticeable. But I put off taking her to the dermatologist because I don't want her to have a complex about it.(But seriously, the Dr. assured me it would go away within 1 year of birth and now she's NINE!!)
Or how much I hope and pray this baby doesn't come early just so I don't have to say Gianna and baby are 11 1/2 mo. apart.(because saying they are only days shy of 1 year apart makes a WORLD of difference, right?)
How about when I tell my big kids to be quiet for the zillionth time with Gianna is napping, eventhough she's not really a light sleeper. But I follow it with 'if you wake up your sister, you're going to be the one taking care of her when she's crabby.' (Yup, I really say that some times)
The list is endless but that's all that comes to the top of my feeble brain. You are not alone and I know you are one heck of a mom. Keep up the good work and thanks for keepin' it real! :)
This should make you feel better...every afternoon after school, my kids eat a cup of ice cream (you probably would know it as a Hoodsie!). I'm the horrible mom!
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you Colleen, I have WAY too many for the com-box! One of these days I will STOP being rude to my eldest & expecting her to be kind to the rest of the kids :(
ReplyDeleteOh, and getting a bowl of ice cream that I don't need so that the baby can have some without making a mess :)
Pax, Elizabeth
Although I'm still a newbie parent, I totally understand where you are coming from. There are times that Joe gets really bad chapped skin around his lips and I furiously work to get it less red because it bothers me. He's adorable and healthy and no one else notices it, but I just work very hard to get it taken care of.
ReplyDeleteI've often thought how I will feel regarding the sex of our next child. Will I be disappointed if it is another boy? However, Ryan and I have talked about how we'd like to have a boy next for that brotherly bond AND I am babysitting a 7 month old girl and I can already tell the difference in taking care of boys and girls and boys ARE easier!
You should see me with the three dogs in our house when Joe is trying to sleep and they start barking. I go ballistic on them. I can't imagine if it were children that were loud and keeping the baby awake!
And I am totally sure that my kids will be eating a lot of McDonalds!
You are great mother. I can feel the love you have towards your children just in your writing. I know shows through a bazillion times more in real life. You are awesome!
I wish we only ate mcdonalds once a week... :)
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! I've had a lot of these lately! And A is a light sleeper too!
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me want to give you a hug! (sorry if that sounds wierd, but it does!) Xander is so beautiful just the way he is, but I do know the feeling of concernfor a babies looks- this week Damian had a few blackheads on his face that were driving me nuts, so I finally squeezed them out (which he didn't even notice my doing) and then his little cheeks turned red an inflamed and I felt awful and freaked on my hubby saying that I'd probably just scarred his little face forever! Sheesh! Real mom moments are a daily thing around here <3 Let go, let God and enjoy what you can when you can. BTW, Ilove the pic of all the kiddos together. Can I just say that I want to come snuggle xander!!! Hang in there!!!
ReplyDeleteYour not so perfect Mama mometns sound perfectly normal to me! I love that you are willing to put it all out there. Any Mama who tells you she is perfect...she is a liar :)
ReplyDeleteOh, you are a funny one. And NO, I don't think you are too easy on the kiddos....they are just exceptional kids. (even if they can't read right out of the womb)
ReplyDeleteWe let Lolo walk around with a broke finger for months...and told her to shake it off and keep playing volleyball and softball.
Now, don't call children's protective services, we finally took her to the Dr ;)
Oh good gravy, girlfriend, I could fill up your com box, but I won't. Judging from the other comments here, it looks like we are in good company!! :)
ReplyDeleteBaby has a birthmark between her eyes that turns bright red at the slightest exertion on her part. She also pukes ALL THE TIME and usually in the most fantastically gross and public way possible, therefore I feel the need to announce to everyone that "She has reflux. REFLUX, I SAY!!"
My kids have eaten sandwiches for dinner since June. Not every night, but many, many nights . . .
I sometimes still can't believe that Baby was a girl and even though I love her, I chafes my OCD side that she broke our pattern.
We'll make it, my friend, and so will the kids! Hugs to you. ;)
okay, lady -- I came out of my blog funk just to write a post about all my bad moments. You are not alone! :)
ReplyDeleteI put all the kids to bed last night at 6:30, because I was totally spent. And the week hadn't even started yet.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my kids are sitting in front of the TV right now, in their underwear. They've been wearing only their underwear all day. One of them still has breakfast on his face.
We are going to have ramen, green beans, and pineapple for dinner tonight because I'm too tired to cook, and those items are things the 9 year old can make on her own.
My oldest boy was born with stork bites on his face, too. I'd never seen them. I asked the doctor if they were going to go away, and he assured me they would. I jokingly (but not jokingly) said, "Oh good, because it wouldn't do for me to have a not perfect baby".
Oh my gosh, how ashamed I am of those words now.
ahhhh.. i think the more real we are.. the better we are!
ReplyDelete.. and anyhow.. i KNOW your a great mom!!!!!!
I meant to comment Sunday, but was waaaaay tooo tired to do so, here I am back.
ReplyDeleteMy real mama moment is, I lay down with my 2 year old almost every day, while the older kiddos are watching cartoons. SO my kiddos are watching cartoons almost every day. AND yes, I notice a difference in their behaviors, but I need that nap.
Having a baby with a cleft lip/palate, I have those same fears you have, my biggest fear is of strangers constantly coming up and wanting to know about the baby, or them seeing the baby and their reaction. Really, who cares? They are strangers.
God bless you, you are just like the rest of us!