Monday, August 18, 2014

Bedtime Stories

Photo Credit:  www.channel4.com
There comes a great turning point in parenting.  And that is when your kids begin to stay up later than you.  And then sleep until noon.  And you can't stop yourself from getting up at 6am out of routine.  The same routine those kids got you into when they were little, which probably started at 5am when they woke up and you swore you weren't going to allow them to get out of bed until the magic hour of 6am.  But you did anyhow.  Because you were helpless to prevent it.  Much like you are now.

It used to be mornings of chaos.  Waking to the demands of small tyrants.  Oatmeal!  Toast!  Why don't you ever buy the good cereal?  Now, come Monday when school starts, I will drag my kids sorry, grumpy asses out of bed.  They will drink coffee.  I will beg them to eat before they go to school.  I will buy any cereal to get them to do this.  They won't.  They're teenagers.  

But, at night I'm slumped on the couch nearly comatose at 9pm.  Who am I kidding?  8pm.   Gone are the days of reading soothing bedtime stories to lull them to sleep.   Now they're energized at night.  And they want to watch Shark week right before bed.  And then tell me how they suddenly need a protractor for school tomorrow. Really?  They didn't need a protractor at 3pm when they came home from school?  Are you kidding me?  The only thing I'm doing at this time of night is going to bed!

When exactly did I turn into an old person?

I think it starts the second you have a kid and your life is dictated by a petite but powerful dictator.  You try to have your own life.  To keep doing the things you did before kids.  Late night concerts, last minute road trips and romantic evenings in the privacy of your own home.  But, it's a losing battle.  It will break you eventually.  This is what parenting does.  It gives you gray hairs and makes you say phrases your parents said to you, that you swore you would never say.  It makes you old.   And you're just too damn busy and exhausted to notice.

This is the circle of life.  




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4 comments:

  1. ChantelAugust 18, 2014 at 5:42 PM

    lol...man, do I feel your pain. This morning I begged one of them to just put SOMETHING on the bagel, anything...protein? Fat? I don't care!

    On the up side, I cannot lie--next Tuesday the house will be empty by 7:30am. Praise. The. Lord.

    xo

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  2. Joy Page ManuelAugust 20, 2014 at 12:10 PM

    I've always felt defensive and hated articles saying that parents/couples should NEVER make their children the center of their lives or should never let them dictate what needs to be done. Duh. Makes me wonder if those writing such 'advice' are not parents to begin with. I understand the rationale behind it, but really?...how doable is it when we're the adults in charge of bedtime, all meals, wake up time , homework follow up and everything else in between??!! I've definitely grown old as well. I need a mojito right now!

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  3. SineAugust 20, 2014 at 3:52 PM

    I so laughed at the protractor. My kids always do that. Don't want to talk to me in the pm when home from school. All they want then is eat. And then at 10 pm they need to print something and drag me out of bed to change the printer cartridge.

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  4. MurielAugust 23, 2014 at 7:44 AM

    I hear you! That said, there might (only might) be another explanation: your kids are becoming teenagers. And it is hard work. As in, really hard work. Good luck!

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