So I've been back to work full time less than a week. It seemed like the kids were handling it really well, even with the question "If the dog breaks her leg after Dad leaves (7:15), but before we leave for school (7:30), do we still have to go?" lol! Like the dog is gonna break her leg in those 15 minutes, or ever lol!
Anyway, today the phone calls at work started. "Mom, Steve didn't shut the garage door." "Mom, can I have a Gatorade?"... (new call)"Mom, I can't get the top off the Gatorade"... "Mom, Jeff's being mean to me"... "Mo-om...." After about the 10th call, I started to get annoyed - it's a really busy week at work. I know they are still adjusting so I hold it together, just barely. *big sigh* Until I get home. Seems that tattling to me didn't get quite the reaction he was after, so Jeff started ragging on his little brother for not closing the garage door. What does any self-respecting 8 1/2 year old (oops, almost 9) do when that happens? Walk away like he's been taught? No. That would be far too calm and rational. As well as not garner any parental sympathy for the plight of the little brother. What did he do instead? He threw a light bulb onto the kitchen floor in a fit of agonizing, excruciating younger brother pain and rage (and those were his exact words to me - yeah, right). Real safe. Of course, it shattered and there was glass everywhere. I mean, geez, they are home alone for all of 45 minutes before the DH gets home from school. You wouldn't think they could get into that much trouble in 45 minutes - they were at home for that period of time before I got home when I was working part time, for crying out loud!
Oh, and since I had posted my resume on Monster, someone called today to see if I was interested in a job (woohoo). Steve forgot he wasn't supposed to answer the phone. Not only did he answer AND say I wasn't home and, oh, by the way, neither was his dad, but he actually gave an unknown person my cell phone number. OY!!
So now, instead of reviewing the stay at home rules each morning, we get to review the rules each morning AND they now have a nicely typed set of rules hanging right next to the phone, for a little reminder NOT to answer the phone!
Rule #1 - leave your brother alone - do not touch him, roll your eyes at him, or otherwise antagonize, patronize or demoralize him lol. (ok, that rule was specifically for pre-teen Jeff *g*).
So at dinner we sat them down and went over the whole thing again (Jeff rolling his eyes in that horrendous "I already know all this - you've said it every day" pre-teen way of his) and let them know that they have a month to adjust to this. If they can't get it together in that time, they will have to go to ... (dun da da duh) after school care. Yup. That oughta whip them into shape.
"No Mom, NOT after school care!! I CAN'T - my friends will all laugh at me!" Seems that after school care is so not in vogue for the ever-cool, very adult pre-teen crowd.
This was all before I read the note from the 3rd grade teacher asking me to please talk to Steve about his offer to pay a classmate $2 if he'd poke this girl they know. Say it with me... OY!
They did a great job today of unintentionally (I choose to believe) exploiting my guilty feelings of going back to work. How do you all handle the work/kid/sibling rivalry dilemma?
Thursday, January 12, 2006
The woes of the working mother
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2 People Gabbed:
OMG Lori! What a NIGHTMARE! Well, what I do with my kids (since I work at home) is I say to them when they come in my office while I'm working.... "Would you have called me at work for that?" If they say no, they leave immediately. If they say yes, then I know they are either bleeding, puking, or have a MAJOR issue that needs to be handled RIGHT NOW.
So, what I'd do is tell your kids that if they aren't bleeding, puking, or have a MAJOR issue that needs to be handled right now, don't call unless they want to be punished... yes, punished. I've punished my kids for unnecessarily bothering me while I'm working. Why? Because my company doesn't pay me to handle arguments between my kids or anything that isn't a HUGE deal... when I explained that to my kids, they finally "got it" that no talking to Mom unless it's absolutely necessary. Work it out on your own, you are big boys now and I've got work to do *G*
Good Luck Lori! I know how trying those times can be... Imagine working full time at home IN SUMMER. THAT is SCARY! LOL
I am a stay at home ùmom, but I was a latch key kid all my life. I never had parents at home, ever. Here's what my mom did:
Rule number one - get home, get a glass of milk and 2 cookies, sit down, do homework.
Rule number two - After homework, look at the fridge and do the chores under your name (there were three of us - my chore was Always vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom - Ugh!)
Those were the two big rules. other rules involved not going outside, not turning on the stove, not answering the phone, etc.
:-)
Since my mom was single and worked three jobs, we were alone a lot. I guess it made us more responsible. I can only remember going to the neighbors once with an emergency (my brother caught his fingers in the mixer as he was trying to make pancakes, lol)
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