Wednesday, March 08, 2006

i'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Don't get me wrong.
I love my kid.
And I even enjoy (most of the time) doing the "work" of parenting.
And I'm sure I'm not the only parent with a kid like this, but....

MyFK is extreeeeeemly high maintennance.
(wonder where he gets that from)

And he is also GONE for the next 5 days on a trip to the snow with his dad!

YAYYYY!!!
Mommy time!!

I remember in my very early twenties reading, "Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindenburgh and not completely comprehending it (even though I thought I did)....but I most certainly get the picture now.
(damn! that book just celebrated it's 50 anniversary, and it's still relevant)
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The last book about actual parenting I read was somewhere around MyFK’s 5th Birthday.

He is now coming up on his 9th Birthday.

It has become ridiculously clear to me that I am dealing with a person in a completely different age group (ummmm, duh), one that is far better skilled in the art of manipulation (funny how certain growth spurts have kinda snuck upon me when I'm not paying attention).

It has also become ridiculously clear to me that I am in serious need of an upgrade in my parenting skills. Certain tactics are just no longer effective.

So reading a new parenting book is on the list of the many things I want to do over the next five days.
Along with knitting (go figure).
Finishing up some purging of cabinets and corners and piles around my house (I'm actually more than 50% done!).
And just listening to the sounds that I can't usually hear under the din of the contstant chattering of my fantastically articulate and incessantly inquistive child (who also has such a knack with sounds effects, he should put "becoming a foley artist" on his list of what he wants to be when he grows up).

3 comments:

Carol said...

Oh boy, do I ever sympathize (or do I mean empathize) with the kid thing! My oldest is 8, too, and he is very much as you describe. The kind of kid who says "Mom, I'm going to play a video game. Will you come watch me?" My husband often says, "He takes up so much psychic space!"

You love 'em, but God, do they exhaust you.

Gray said...

What parent doesn't know that feeling!I hope that you get to use the time well and can recharge a little.

My daughter is 15 now, and things are a little different. I love having adult time without her, but suddenly the empty nest seems close at ahead and I want to take advantage of all the time we have together.

Have a great time! I hope your son has fun too.

-Gray

jodi said...

I have to say that reading a parenting book during your five days off from parenting is like being given a week's worth of homework for what they call spring break here (back in Canada it's called "study week" or "reading week", I guess so as not to give the students any false impressions that a week off means some free time). Ugh! If I were you I'd go swimming, dancing, knit up a storm and read the parenting book next week, after he's in bed. Heh. Of course, I've got reading to do for a class tonight that I haven't touched yet. . .