So, Tired, I dedicate this to you.
The Evening Shift
No matter how relaxing my day might have been, the 4-7 shift is enough to do me in. Kids home from school/gan, babysitter gone, no naps (for me) in sight, just the long haul until bedtime. And yes, the kids go to sleep early, and yes, Ariella is pretty independent, hygiene-wise. But still.
For example, the following conversation with Ariella or Yaakov occurs with alarming regularity:
"It's time for a shower."
"WHAT?????" Complete shock. A shower? What sayeth you, woman? What is this "shower" thing of which you speak? I suspect it is something I do NOT want to do.
"You know it's shower night." (Full disclosure: I do not bathe them every night. Hey, we have a water crisis here, people.)
"WHAT????? I don't wannnnnnaaaaa take a shower! It's gonna take me ten hundred hours!" (That is Ariella. Everything she doesn't want to do takes her "ten hundred hours.")
"Let's go. Into the shower."
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
"Why are you constantly surprised that you need to shower?"
"I don't wannnnnnaaaaaaa take a shower!"
"You know, you've spent more time kvetching about the shower than the time it takes to actually take a shower." (For some unknown reason, this sound bit of logic always fails to impress them.)
"FINE! [Cue muttering and grumbling.]
Five minutes later....
"Okay, get out of the shower!"
"But I don't wannnnnaaaaaa get out of the shower!"
Is it bedtime yet?????
So, you know, there's showers, dinners, and lunches, and then cleaning up from showers, dinners, and lunches. There's book reading and baby holding and homework checking and sand dumping (you know, from shoes. And socks. Oh, and toes.) Wash your hands, eat dinner, clean up the water you spilled, no you can NOT have an artik today, go to the bathroom, yes, you DO have to go, I can tell, get your tik ready ("It'll take ten hundred hours!"), why are there MORE dishes? wasn't the floor clean just this morning? STOP WRITING ON YOUR KNEES!
Is it bedtime yet???????
And then, every so often, you get this a moment of zen. Ariella reading her library book on the couch, Yaakov zooming his cars up and down my leg, Nadav on the floor, trying to stuff the sofa into his mouth ("Al...most....there....) and me, sitting and reading a magazine. So you gotta hold onto those moments, people. And when all else fails - or even when it doesn't - eat some Ben & Jerry's (I've got chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer, if anyone needs.)
Ahhhhh......bedtime.....
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7 comments:
This sounds very, very, very familiar. Very.
I think there a lot of others in the gan/bet sefer who are in the same...matzav, shall we say.
It definitely sounds familiar to me! I will also disclose that I don't bathe my children every day either (and we have a well- no water crisis).
I don't have any helpful words because that is the shift that does me in too.
We didn't bathe Gila every day and look how great she turned out.
Oh man do I hear you on 4-7. Why, oh why, do they expect us to be able to do homework with kids while there are smaller louder more destructive kids who are at their least compliant time of day. And kids, this bathing thing happens with some regularity. You never hate it once you are doing it. So why is it necessary to complain, EVERY TIME.
And And And....the worst part for me, is that in my head it is over by 7, but they are NEVER all asleep by then. But I can't bring myself to officially revise bedtime.
Chaya - that is so true! The 7 year old is definitely not in bed by 7, and the baby still wakes up at night, but I can't change the goal line either, or I'll just end up curled up in a corner of the living room, clutching my ice cream and weeping.
I seem to be the person always about ten years ahead of you guys. Here's what your future looks like: Your kids will shower every. single. night. (I know. You think this is a good thing.) For about 3 hours each. If they share a bathroom (and no I don't want them in my bathroom), they will argue over who goes first, next, last and bang on the door because "I need the bathroom RIGHTNOW".
And bedtime at 7? **Bursting into hysterical fits of laughter. And tears.**
Baila, you're supposed to leave us with encouraging words about how it gets easier when they get older. It does, right? RIGHT???
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