Going out alone with the kid(s) is a daunting task that no one wants to talk about, especially before you have that second child. Even walking to the car some days is enough to make me think I've started menopause: hotflashes, fatigue, mood swings...yes, yes and yes...all within the course of 13 feet and 3 minutes. Grocery shopping, forget it. Any type of shopping forget it. Of course there are those days where the three of us skip out to the car and waltz through the store laughing and agreeing on what "treats" we will or will not place in the cart...but 7 times out of 10, I'm a 29 year old menopausal mess.
Point in case; today. We had a soccer game this morning and were running late because Coltrane wanted to wear Kingston's soccer cleats and only wanted to wear Kingston's underwear and not put on a diaper (he's 21 months and we haven't even thought about potty training)
After I used my insurance card to unlock my bedroom door that Coltrane locked himself in [sweating, hot flash, mood swing] and actually got to the soccer fields, we had to park 90 miles away because of 300 different baseball, football and soccer games and since everyone drives a Suburban, F150 or Excursion down here in TX and double parks, I had to park at the entrance. [mood swing] Coltrane wouldn't let me hold him on our 90 mile walk so we had to
Someone said, "Is there a grandparent that could watch him maybe next game?" I laughed. Another woman said, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, my kid here is just as crazy and will probably be acting up in a minute." He never did. Coltrane cried the entire game and pulled out about about 70% of my hair and you can find traces of my skin under his fingernails. The same woman then said, "Well, how about this, if it makes you feel any better, my husband left me when I was pregnant with the little one and lives 3 minutes from these fields and hasn't been to a single game in three years." It was then that I realized...I'm not going to stand near her anymore because I would like to enjoy my pity party when I get home and not feel bad for this actual single mother raising two boys all alone in the childerness.(people like her are heroes and deserve free spa days)
My cousin posted this picture on facebook the other day and after my soccer game debacle today, the similarities between the photo and myself are uncanny.
All jokes aside, I LOVE my kids and their quirks and the wild and crazy times and wouldn't want it any other way. As I type, I have to remember this. Soooo... maybe less tantrums and fighting would be nice, having some family close by...winning the lottery.... :)