Monday, May 22, 2006

Children

If someone had told me back in those early months with the my first child that the total sleeplessness and exhaustion and worry I was experiencing was merely the tip of the iceberg, and that despite the fact that the child would eventually sleep through the night, the worry and the sleeplessness and exhaustion would continue for the rest of my flippin' life, I would have had bought a car with better gas mileage, thereby making runs to Tijuana for over-the-border Prozac easier on the family budget.

I try not to blog too much about any issues Jack or Jake may be struggling with because they are 8 and 9 years old and they ask me not to... as in, "Mom, DO NOT blog about this!"

However, the old - When they are babies they physically exhaust you and then, for the rest of their life, they mentally exhaust you - is totally true.

I'm just saying...

38 comments:

Tuesday Girl said...

Great. I can't wait.

Anonymous said...

So this crap goes beyond the first year? I want a refund!

Christina_the_wench said...

Social Services would have had to find my ass in Mexico years ago if they had told me from the beginning what this mother thing was all about. I'm with ya', sista. I seriously considered an adoption agency for my high maintenance daughter #1. Oh, you thought of it too. Don't fib.

Jake and Jack - don't look.

Becky at lifeoutoffocus said...

great. thats so encouraging as hannah is 3. LOL.

Perstephone said...

Kristin- what are you doing to me? You know I'm only 8 months into this parenting thing, right?

But I hope that whatever is going on with your kids gets better. I know it is tough when things are going on with them.

Big hugs!

Kristin said...

Oh, Jake and Jack are fine... they are just complicated... everything is of HUGE SIGNIFICANCE these days!

carrie said...

Oh, the DRAMA! I really, really feel your pain, and I share the same view about not totally trashing my kids in blogland. However, there are those days . . .

Pollyanna said...

Email me anytime if you wanna EMAIL about your boy troubles without BLOGGING about it. I have an 8-year-old too, so I hear ya sista! :)

And yes, I know what you mean about wanting a refund and that somebody ANYBODY should have warned us of all the drama that was to come. I think it only gets worse, as far as drama goes, after this too. OY. We all need a nap.

j.sterling said...

LMFAO @ mom, do not blog about this!!! HAHAHHAHAHA

Suburban Turmoil said...

Agreed. I had the bitter realization that I'd never have a really good night's sleep ever again about a year ago...

Feral Mom said...

No wonder my mother was a wreck...on top of all the usual parental anxiety, she was worried about my immortal soul! Ah sleep, I miss ye.

ditzymoi said...

It's all truen Kristin! My oldest is 25 and I can count on one hand the times I have slept all the way through the night. And then I did it again and again and again... some people never learn :) I really hate to burst any bubbles but even when they are grown it doesn't get any easier, you just get bigger worries because they are forever your baby!

SupComTabz said...

Thanks for commenting on my blog (Stupid People Shoudn't Breed) welcome to blogging chicks!

Hey, if you get a chance check out my new challenge - I'm going to be making a comment on every blog I come across from now till June 1st! You can join too!

Anonymous said...

I'm told that boys are more exhausting when they're young, but less so than girls when they're teens. Oh, wait, you've got a girl too. Uh... never mind.

Anonymous said...

oh man I remember it SO well......you are almost half way there. Consider yourself fortunate.....I do have some prozac if you'd like to share.....

Kevin Charnas said...

HA! You're right, perfect timing with my parents, "do NOT blog about this!" thanks for the invitation. How can they think that we're not going to blog about this?

Will and I plan on adopting, should we just adopt some 25 year olds?

penguininthesun said...

somebody needs a mini-vacation... or maybe a mega one? :)

LindaJ said...

I never knew 8/9 year old boys had so much drama until these past few weeks...Mentally draining. I'm with yah!!!

Anonymous said...

My girls just wear me out these days. The drama over what to wear, who to play with, what parties they have or have not been invited to- it all adds up to a lot of TALKS and DISCUSSIONS in a SENSITIVE and CARING voice.

Anonymous said...

My daughter is 12 and totally boy crazy. She is so full of drama. I have to admit though, she is getting easier to handle.

The other day, she ran across a PETA website and found some slaughtering videos. Now she wants to become a vegetarian. Unfortunately, that means she doesn't get to eat my pork roast. She caved last night.

Talk about DRAMA !!!

... melissa

Lisa said...

My little guy is almost 4 and so I haven't had him exhaust me mentally as much as your kids have. But eek. Is it too late to change my mind on this whole motherhood thing? heehee

Nikki said...

yep. I can totally relate

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Thank you for the glimpse into my future. I will now go drown myself in chianti.

May as well add a hangover to the exhaustion.

Jen R. said...

You know..you make it hard for a girl to imagine her life will be better in the near future:)

Her Grace said...

How cool that you are respecting their privacy.

I recently realized -- when my 1 year old started sleeping through the night and I didn't -- that I will never sleep 8 solid hours of uninterrupted sleep again. Maybe when they're in college, but then I'll remember what I was up to in college and sleep will be OUT OF THE QUESTION!

Anonymous said...

Ha. It's amazing how bad I thought it was when she was not even one - and now (she's not even two), I'm like "dude, those days were EASY!"

Funny how perspective changes.

Kelsgarden said...

I am LMAO as my 10 yr old will hiss at me "you had better not blog this" OR "Well, it's the type of thing you don't share because SOMEONE might blog it"

My 12 yr old just rolls her eyes and give me that look like - "yeah, you just wait until I discuss this in counseling and blog it in my 20s"

Anonymous said...

I hear you, sistah! (As seven and ten year old bicker in next room.)

Let me know when you're heading down to Tijuana next...

Undercover Angel said...

Eeek - I had hoped it would be easier as my children got older... So far it hasn't gotten any easier, but I kept looking forward to "someday". Now I see that someday will never come...

J.D. said...

LOL, and everybody's rushing me to get married...nuh uh...no sir....

Though I may be childless, I have the benefit of having left childhood not too long ago. (I remained a child until age 28. I'm thinking of going back here in a few days.) So much drama when you're in your tweens though...insecurities, et al. But Kris, you just wait until they're teens, and not only are they having drama, but you're also having to keep them from knocking up the preacher's daughter or getting caught smoking pot behind the police station. Not that they would do that...I'm just sayin'...

For once, Kristin, I don't want to switch lives with ya.

Also, how 2000's is it when you can now hear a child ask, with a straight face, "mom please don't blog about this?"

Wes said...

Isn't it all just part of the fun?

Having a 9 year old, a 6 year old and baby I think I'm suffering from both Physical and Mental exhaustion, as is my wife! (And she gets the added stress of putting up with me!!!)

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

I just can't stay away! Tag, you're it.

Kristin said...

Ok, Kel, there is something about the mental image of a child, "hissing" that just KILLS me!! TOO funny...probably because as soon as Eva learns to hiss, I am dead meat.

We are fans of the "therapy jar" (which is something my friend Samanthat came up with)... whenever we mortify the children (about every 5 seconds) we tell their shocked and dismayed little faces to go and "put a dollar in the therapy jar"... basically, we're saving up for their shrink.

Sandra said...

Mine is only 4 1/2 and I was hoping it would get easier ... thanks for the reality check :)

It think it is cute that your kids know you blog and tell you when something isn't blog-worthy by their request.

Kel said...

There is a point where everything is drama filled and "complicated". I'm not looking forward to those times at all.

I think I'll just tell the Dr to put "unlimited" on my prozac prescription. LOL

Kelsgarden said...

"therapy jar"

brilliant

We always say "they are going to seek counseling in their 20s anyway - might as well give them good material"

and recently added, thanks to a dear friend, "and if they have the presence of mind to seek counseling and a career that afford them the funds to do it, we will know we raised them right"

Wendy said...

Hey, it only took Evan 5 years to sleep through the night! I can't wait until he tells me not to blog about him, those darn boys.

Anonymous said...

hey, that sucks for you, but they have a right to privacy, i hear that.

Is the book helping with any of the issues?