Parenting Ups and Downs

Last night, after dinner, I needed to write approximately 2500 words for NaNoWriMo. Given that I had stared blankly at the computer for most of the afternoon, things weren't looking good. The kids were supposed to be doing homework so I put in my earbuds and went to work I soon heard the kids downstairs yelling which is not as common as it used to be but still annoying as always. I got up and stomped my way downstairs hoping that the sound of me marching towards them like an angry yeti would nip their fight in the bud so that I didn't have to say anything. It did not.

"STOP FIGHTING!" I demanded and they both looked at me, the smiles that had been on their faces prior to my arrival slipping just a bit.

It turns out they weren't fighting. They were talking and having fun together which apparently sounds a lot like fighting.

Later, I had to nag Zeca to do homework which put her in a bad mood as evidenced by the eye rolling, sighing, heavy footsteps and general sass. She didn't want anything to do with me after all that but I went to give her a goodnight hug and she limp-armed me. Is there anything worse than passive resistance when you are just trying to show affection? Miguel was in a good mood, thankfully. I found him in his room, sitting on his bed and bent down to give him a hug just as he stood to give me one and he bashed his head into my mouth. It did not bleed but did swell and bruise and he said, "Wow! That sounded like it really hurt!"

Yes, son. It really did.

So, by the time I went to bed, I was done with both of them.

This morning, we all woke to a new day and the morning routine went well and they didn't fight over the bathroom and they chatted over breakfast and I got to watch and listen:

Miguel: A man kills a cow and feasts for a day. A wise man saves the cow, milks it and makes cheese and feasts for a lifetime.

Zeca: Yeah, well what if the wise man is lactose intolerant?

And then a few minutes later:

Zeca: I have a riddle. What room has no walls, floor, ceiling, windows or doors?

Miguel: Let's step back and ask the bigger questions. Why do we need rooms when we have the earth? Why do we need walls when we have east, west, north and south? Why do we need anything but the natural world we live in?

Parenting definitely has its ups and downs. Today has been mostly good and tonight, I may wear earplugs, a helmet and a mouth guard to make sure it stays that way.