28 March 2007

what does it take to get fired from this job?

The events of this morning have made it clear to me that, if this were a paying job, I'd have either quit or been fired by now, because I am really not that good at this stay-at-home parenting thing.

This morning, I'm babysitting for a friend's son while James is at school. Currently my baby is on the floor screaming for orange juice, because he's not interested in the water I'm offering him. The only reason that the boy I'm sitting for is no longer crying is because I turned on the TV to shut the kids up. I make children cry! I make children cry because I will not give them orange juice when they turn up their noses at the drink I've already gotten them, and because I will not return them to their mothers an hour before the scheduled time. I have never heard so much crying! The kid I'm sitting for has a pair of lungs to rival Evan's, and that's saying something.

Who let me be a stay-at-home parent, anyway? I'm not qualified. My house is constantly a mess; my five-year-old is still not registered for kindergarten (I got the paperwork in December); I cannot for the life of me convince my toddler to eat a single vegetable, even those he once loved; I bribe children with video games and television; and now, this morning, I had two children, one of whom is not even mine, screaming at me for different reasons, while the other mothers on the playground looked on with pitying smiles.

It has been a rough morning.

3 comments:

kim said...

Don't you wish you could leave childcare to the professionals some days? Hang in there!

and rudeness said...

Oh girl... you can do it! It's the hardest job to get hired for and then? You are a lifer. No matter what.

Hope your day gets better!! :)

Anonymous said...

ohh, of course you don't make children cry! children love to cry when they're being stubborn. and when there's a buddy to accompany you in being stubborn, it works even better (i see that with matija and brina so much). it's their way of getting things their way and it takes a lot of patience until the kid learns that things simply can't always be their way. i guess that's why they call it the narcissistic stage.

you're a Wonderful parent and your kids will grow up to be wonderful persons. i don't doubt that for a second.
love you,
m.