Parenting challenge

We have the battle of wills at home every so often. They seem to be getting more intense as the little man gets older.

Yesterday was an easy day until I began to exert my will upon my child. I had to work so he needed to go to a neighbor's house for awhile. He loves these folks and, as a mater of fact, we spent the evening before over at their house for dinner. They are not strangers to us.

As soon as we went to get in the car to go, he suddenly has a tummy ache of unspecified origin. Then he does not want to go, in fact, he wants to go to work with me. UH no. I can get much more done, quickly, without a 4 yr old under foot. I tried to explain this and that I would be home quickly if I could just go, do my thing and come home.

We arrived at another neighbor's where we were to meet everyone for a pool outing. Now I cannot get him out of the car. Nimbly he hops back and forth over the seats, just out of reach. I am losing patience, counting to ten. I gather his stuff, slam the car doors, take a spare set of keys just in case he locks himself in (the car is running) and walk away. I linger with the adults explaining the issue. Nathan, 6, goes and tries to get Jake out of the car. No luck.

I walk back, Karen who is watching him for me comes with me. She sweetly opens the back door and explains to Jake that she just wants to talk to him and she is not going to grab him out of the car. He hops to the front. I open the door, tired of this nonsense, and grab him. I carry him to the poolside and sit him on my lap while he clings to me like a baby koala bear on his momma.

Finally he decides that he wants to go play inside. The hostess and I take him in show him where the bathroom his (he knows but it is a cautionary measure). He settled in and I high-tailed it out of there.

I got an email later letting me know that he was happy, playing in the pool and having a great time. He spent 20 minutes playing inside, regaining his composure but after that..... good times.

Parenting Faux Pas and other tales of the season

Christmas snuck up on us this year. Here we were finishing up Thanksgiving leftovers and Christmas let itself in the back door. I was doing all right with the shopping. We decorated in time for our neighborhood cocktail party. Got the tree and decorated it as well. Somewhere an extra week just disappeared.

What happened? Was it in the middle of my several rushed Christmas card shoots? Was it while husband was gone on assignment? Was it while kiddo was being spoiled rotten in NYC with the grandparents? I really have no idea.

No cards were sent this year. No cookies were baked this year. The packages that made it to holiday destinations were lucky. Everyone else gets a New Year's gift.

It is 2 days until Christmas. Kiddo is being an absolute pill. He does not want to get dressed, go to school, wear this shirt, eat breakfast.....

He wants to wrap gifts, put them under the tree, play with his Christmas train, make cookies, eat cookies, have hot chocolate with marshmallows. Can't say that I blame him, I would like to do all that too.

He wants Daddy home. Yeah, so do I. He wants Oma and Opa because they are not mean to him like Momma is. ( I am mean because I won't let him stay in his PJ's all day).

In my own frustration, I have become a terrible parent. He has cookies for breakfast, I bribe him to get in the car by promising him a donut (he also has to promise to be good until Christmas). I don't have the time to spend with him that I need. As he hesitated to go into class this am, I had to call work to tell them I would be late. I sat in the hallway of daycare, holding kiddo until he was ready to go into class. I know he wants attention and us to share in his holiday excitement. I want to as well. I think this may be a lesson to me that I should at least take off Christmas eve in the future.

Almost Four is Fun

Having a four year old is as much fun as it can be frustrating but you really have to enjoy the fun part and try to ignore the times when the kiddo pushes those buttons.

My sister left today after being here a week to help me. Man, it was great to have her here. Jake loved her, the dogs really loved her and I am sure if the cats were able to come downstairs without being eaten by the dogs, they would have loved her too.

Last night she gave him a bath and they had a huge pillow fight. He was pretty worn out. To hear them laugh together made me laugh. She bought him a Spiderman costume at Wal-mart that he LOVED. I think he wants to wear it to his birthday party.

He is such a little parrot too. He picks up the smallest expressions and then uses them when you least expect it. He loves saying "Actually". It cracks me up. " Actually mommy, this grape looks like a squash."

Lately the house has become a spaceship or a regular ship and we have to take our seats before we can go anywhere. The imagination is huge. I love lying in bed in the morning listening to him play in his room. Tonight at dinner we had to all sing the Multiplication Rock song for Three.
"Mommy you sing!
"3, 6, 9"
"Daddy now you!"
"12, 15, 18"
We both look at the kiddo and he sings "21, 24, 27....30!"