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I am convinced that kids have the innate ability to know when their parents have hit that point where they are going to lose it.
Zoe has been having sleep issues for the past seven weeks. So that means that *I* have been having sleep issues for the past seven weeks and that makes for one cranky momma. She refuses to sleep in her bed. Every night, she gets out of her bed and lies in front of her door and kicks it and screams until she finally falls asleep and then spends the night sleeping on the floor in front of her door. She doesn't sleep well, I hear her rolling around in there and hitting the door and her closet as she thrashes in her sleep. But, for the most part, she doesn't require that I actually GET UP and go in there anymore.
Except for Wednesday night. She was having a particularly restless night and I barely slept because I kept hearing her. Somewhere around five a.m. she started crying. I got so angry. I was lying there in bed steaming and thinking all the unhealthy things I shouldn't. Like that she was doing this to ME on purpose. Why did I deserve this? Dear Lord, I am SO FREAKIN' TIRED, why can't you cut me a break? Why did I have children in the first place? Why did I marry a man in the military when I completely swore them off back in 1997? Why can't I be a great mom that loves her job and has it all together all the time? And most importantly, WHAT IS WITH NEW JERSEY AND JUGHANDLES??? ( OK... maybe that wasn't relevant, but that's an ongoing joke and no one has ever answered it for me)
At my breaking point, I flung back the covers on the bed, stomped across the hall to Zoe's room, flung open the door, peered around the corner at her lying on the ground ready to just explode and yell at her . But then, she sprang up and hollered, " BOO!!!" and collapsed in a fit of giggles.
How can you be mad at that? She saved herself that night... and I guess God WAS trying to cut me a break after all.
I don't know whether to cry or laugh, Jen. You described my last 7 weeks (INCLUDING THIS MORNING) down to a tee.... I didn't get a boo this morning, but yesterday during our naptime struggle (as I was getting ready to head in there and explode in anger) right when I got to his door he was standing there wearing his tennis shoes. I had to laugh and the scrapper in me went and grabbed my camera and started snapping away - I mean, it was the first time he had ever put his shoes on all by himself! All I can say is I'm sorry you're going through this, too... but I'm glad I'm not the only one! Oh, and thank God for his little moments of humor to bring everything into balance! lol
ReplyDelete(Yeah, and what IS with NJ Jughandles!!!??? I've driven around there quite a few times - even spent some time around Ft. Dix - and those things just about drove me NUTS)
Love it. That is a great break, and a great reminder of why you love her, even when she is driving you crazy.
ReplyDeleteI think you need a military advent calendar...wake up to chocolate and one less day of doing this on your own. You're almost there!
ReplyDeleteJughandles and Sonics-I'm apparently living in a very sheltered environment here in the burbs of cally-for-ni-eh!
Just for clarification for the non-Jersey folks... jughandles are a Jersey phenomenon. You cannot turn left here ( in most places.. small country roads, of course you can- major business routes.. uh-uh) they keep a divider down the middle of the road to avoid this and you have to get in the far right lane and loop around to a traffic light and then turn left to go in the opposite direction.... there is no rule though and some roads have left turn lanes AND jughandles... if you don't know where you are going, you could suddenly find yourself having to cross 3 lanes of traffic if you guess incorrectly about the presence of a jughandle or left turn lane.
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