I’m positive that Resolution #2 would help me with Resolution #1, but it’s not as easy as just going to bed.
a) When I put the kids to bed I often fall asleep with one of them for a half hour or so, and then I am wide awake until 2 a.m. Even if I don’t get this little catnap I’m still wide awake until 2 a.m. I have some residual childhood night-time issues that could be contributing. Solution – Therapy and a new bedtime routine?
b) The lure of getting something done beats the lure of my pillow. If I try to go to bed early I just lay there thinking about everything I didn’t do today. The end of the list just keeps getting further away so I’m not sure what to do about it. Solution – An assistant and a double-dose of Tylenol PM?
c) When I do finally hit the sheets I don’t get good sleep. Kids crawl in with me at all hours and once they’re there they are constantly kicking me or waking me with their Spanish sleep-talking. You would think I could just send them back to their bed but I rarely wake up enough to make a conscious decision. Even though my sleep is interrupted, I don’t wake up enough to fix the problem. Solution – A lock and earplugs?
By the way, I did NOT yell this morning. The getting up early wasn’t as successful as I’d hoped because the staying up late made the getting up early almost impossible, but I decided to try to “manage my expectations.” My boss, and my previous bosses (my boss’ brother and father) have been telling me for 15 years to manage my expectations when I get upset about an employee who isn’t doing what I think he or she should be doing. Honestly, it has been really annoying to hear that over and over, but I’ve had enough Kool-Aid at this point so that’s part of my survival plan. If I don’t expect much, I’m not disappointed. Very sad, in my opinion, but realistic.
So this morning I didn’t expect the kids to know that teeth are brushed with toothpaste, that socks go on feet before shoes, or that breakfast comes before playing with kittens. I prodded them as needed to keep them moving forward, but I didn’t necessarily expect them to move forward so I didn’t get mad when they didn’t. When they gave me trouble, I walked away. When Norah threw a fit while I brushed her hair, she went to school with beginner-dreadlocks. When Adlani still couldn’t find his boot, he had to wear Aliya’s back-up pair again. Too girlie for ya? Oh well, manage your expectations. I set the timer and gave them their instructions, and when it started beeping I walked out with my keys, then honked the horn in the driveway.
I nagged, honked, and sent my kids to school with opposite-gender footwear and dreads. But I didn’t yell.
This is my anthem:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K-5P_zFM8k&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]
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