When Your Kids Teepee the Bathroom….

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I was having one of those weeks. I mean let’s be 100 percent real, I was having a bad month. You know those days or weeks when you feel you are literally loosing every battle with your kids? 

You see, I have 3-year-old twin girls. I love their bond, quick wit, and kind heart. However, like every child, they have their “difficult” moments. 

So yup, I was having that kind of month. I was dealing with public tantrums, picky eaters, sibling rivalry 24/7.  

So I was pretty tapped out. The truth is I was downright tired.

As a parent you want nothing more than to raise kind, empathetic, contributing members of society. You can make yourself go crazy trying to figure out that best way to parent. I found myself reading the articles, picking up books, and skimming the blogs all looking for the best way to do my parenting job.

When I encountered difficult parenting pickles I would always think: “How do I handle this situation?” Making these types of decisions every day is downright exhausting. 

So then one day, after a very long week of parenting fails (or so I thought) my kids go and teepee the bathroom.

Yes… they took toilet paper soaked it and threw it all over my bathroom. I am not making this up. I was folding laundry while the carnage took place. When I went upstairs and heard the naughty giggling and saw what happen I just froze.

Once again a stream of thoughts come running through my head, “How do I handle this? What is my next move?” “Do I put them in time out? Do I use this as a teachable moment? Yell? make them help me clean it up?”

It was like I had an out of body experience in that moment. I was so tapped out, so tired, and so done with making decisions.  I said to myself: “Screw it…. Screw it all.”

I was done. I had no “parenting” left in me.

Instead, I walked right past them and cleaned up the mess and starting laughing uncontrollably.

My kids looked at me as if I had lost my mind. However, in that moment, I was either going to cry or laugh. I then walked passed them went to the sofa and just sat there. I could tell my kids were thinking: “What in the world? Did we just get away with it? What is going on?”

After a few minutes, they both came downstairs and sat next to me and said, “Sorry.”  In that instant I realized something…

My lack of “parenting” that situation taught them everything they needed about that moment. My silence and my kids witnessing that mommy was done taught them empathy. It taught them that I needed a break.  You see, sometimes a mother’s silence is louder than any words. 

So one day your kids are going to teepee the bathroom. It will most likely occur when you have no more energy to deal. So when it does happen… and it will…  know that it will all be okay.

Always remember that you are not a bad parent, they are not bad kids, you are just having a rough moment. So when you have no “parenting” left in you, wave the white flag. It is okay to be tired and feel defeated, it is part of the whole gig. Just know that the moment will pass, and then you will have a good laugh about the whole situation.

Until next time….