That Kid

If you're a parent, you might have that kid.  The one that you don't understand.  The one that pushes every button that you have.  The one that tests your patience every second of every day.  The one that drives you out of your mind crazy.

That kid.

The one that challenges everything you thought you knew about parenting.

 Before you were a parent.

Whether your kids are adopted or biological, special needs or not, most of you probably have that kid.  But for the rest of you, please know we hold a grudge against you.  You are that parent to us.  The 1% that won the non-oppositional child disposition lottery.  It's not personal.  It's jealousy.

Because every day I'm in survival mode.

It starts when that kid wakes up grumpy.  Actually, it starts before that, when I anticipate that kid getting up grumpy again.  And it gets worse when that kids slurps cereal in the loudest most disgusting way.  It doesn't get any better after that.  Cause that kid's the instigator.  Constantly actively seeking out the next topic of argument.  Stirring the pot.  Boiling the pot over.  And then oblivious that the pot needs to be cleaned up, cause in that kid's mind all of this is completely innocent.  When that kid finally goes to bed, I spend the rest of the evening fixating on that kid.

Until a crazy thing happened.

One day, that kid changed overnight.  And not because I tried some new technique.  Although I assure you, I tried them all.  Yes, all of them.  I was so thankful that something finally clicked.  I started to enjoy the company of that kid in a way I was never able to before.  And it was such a  a huge relief.  Until... I looked at my family and realized that while I was absorbed with that kid, this other kid of mine morphed into that kid.