I've Done My Job
Jul. 24th, 2003 07:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojCheck out the new icon. Rather a propos for today.
Went grocery shopping, had a fairly nice time, came home, and immediately went out to a homeschooling mom's house out in the country. Drove for about 45 minutes for a trip that normally takes about 30 min because I got lost in the rain and discovered that you can't go south on Bronson/Airport Parkway for about five miles - you're welcome to go North, but there are no ramps taking you to the southbound half of the highway. How &%$#*&ing annoying.
So then we spent the day at Monique's, Daniel and Justin played with their friends Noah and Oscar, had a great lunch, did a craft, all was well, we came back around 3:30, Daniel went to play with our next door neighbour Khoi. He asked if he could visit Khoi and I said that he might be able to for a little bit, but remember, we'd been visiting all day so I didn't want him to get grumpy when it was time to go home.
OK, no problem. He went skipping off happily and I went to check my e-mail.
Can't visit Khoi, says Daniel, Khoi's going to Uday's house (not Saddam's son, BTW). Can Daniel go to Uday's house too? I quickly think of Uday, who's a nice kid but is 9, and Justin, who will want to go too, and think about the fact that I don't even know where Uday lives, and the fact that Khoi is a bully and that they all play violent video games and watch shows appropriate for 10-yr olds but not, IMHO, for 9, 7, 6 or 3 yr olds, and say, No.
Why NOT?!!
Because, sweetie (and I explain all of the above.) Besides, you've been visiting with friends all day. We just got back 10 minutes ago.
Grumble grumble-
Listen, remember I don't like it when you get greedy. We've been out all day, we have to go pick up Daddy soon, I'm gonna get really mad if you get angry because I don't let you visit another friend right now.
Daniel goes away. OK, crisis averted, I think.
I'm wrong. Kid comes back, full of piss and vinegar, and tells me off for never, never, never letting him have any fun, always keeping him from his friends, making him so very very miserable -
And I lose it.
I came appallingly close to wanting to slap him, but settled for grounding him instead. There's really nobody who can get under your skin as completely as your own offspring when you've bent over backwards to make everything just so for them, and they not only don't thank you (which isn't expected, since we don't do parental stuff for the kudos) but insist that you "never do anything" for them.
So. Chris has the children. I'm taking a little break.
Went grocery shopping, had a fairly nice time, came home, and immediately went out to a homeschooling mom's house out in the country. Drove for about 45 minutes for a trip that normally takes about 30 min because I got lost in the rain and discovered that you can't go south on Bronson/Airport Parkway for about five miles - you're welcome to go North, but there are no ramps taking you to the southbound half of the highway. How &%$#*&ing annoying.
So then we spent the day at Monique's, Daniel and Justin played with their friends Noah and Oscar, had a great lunch, did a craft, all was well, we came back around 3:30, Daniel went to play with our next door neighbour Khoi. He asked if he could visit Khoi and I said that he might be able to for a little bit, but remember, we'd been visiting all day so I didn't want him to get grumpy when it was time to go home.
OK, no problem. He went skipping off happily and I went to check my e-mail.
Can't visit Khoi, says Daniel, Khoi's going to Uday's house (not Saddam's son, BTW). Can Daniel go to Uday's house too? I quickly think of Uday, who's a nice kid but is 9, and Justin, who will want to go too, and think about the fact that I don't even know where Uday lives, and the fact that Khoi is a bully and that they all play violent video games and watch shows appropriate for 10-yr olds but not, IMHO, for 9, 7, 6 or 3 yr olds, and say, No.
Why NOT?!!
Because, sweetie (and I explain all of the above.) Besides, you've been visiting with friends all day. We just got back 10 minutes ago.
Grumble grumble-
Listen, remember I don't like it when you get greedy. We've been out all day, we have to go pick up Daddy soon, I'm gonna get really mad if you get angry because I don't let you visit another friend right now.
Daniel goes away. OK, crisis averted, I think.
I'm wrong. Kid comes back, full of piss and vinegar, and tells me off for never, never, never letting him have any fun, always keeping him from his friends, making him so very very miserable -
And I lose it.
I came appallingly close to wanting to slap him, but settled for grounding him instead. There's really nobody who can get under your skin as completely as your own offspring when you've bent over backwards to make everything just so for them, and they not only don't thank you (which isn't expected, since we don't do parental stuff for the kudos) but insist that you "never do anything" for them.
So. Chris has the children. I'm taking a little break.
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no subject
Date: 2003-07-24 04:45 pm (UTC)I'm working with kids who are about Daniel's age, and boy-oh-boy, now I know where you're coming from when you write about the craziness.
It helps to have someone to turn to and say, "Your turn!" That's for sure.