Day #253: Getting Parenting Advice From James

Max had a rough bedtime last night. He's actually been doing really well at bedtime for awhile now...and this is the kid who his entire life has struggled with sleeping alone. But lately, as long as an adult snuggles him and gets him all sleepy and cozy and tucked in, said adult is allowed to leave the room while he's still awake, if and only if said adult promises that the other parent will come check on him soon.

I think his little brain was somehow thrown off by Daddy being gone for a few days, because last night he was not having it. Daddy got him all snuggled and down and ready and within a minute of Daddy leaving he was standing by the door yelling, "No leave! Mama come! Mama come now!"

It's cute when he gets by his door and waits for people, if somewhat sad. Sometimes he sticks his little fingers under the door, and sometimes he smooshes his whole face against the crack and tries to see (you can totally see it although it doesn't photograph well. Last night it was toes. He was sticking his little toes under the door. Which was better than face. If it's face, you know he is VERY ANGRY. 

So I was talking to him through the door and playing with his little toes because the longer I wait to go in there, the better, as long as he's not hysterically screaming. Cue the exhausted and exasperated voice of James from down the hall: "Mama, he just wants you to go in there."

It must be exhausting to be six years old and know everything. I wonder when he started knowing everything.

James is full of great parenting advice. Mom, you shouldn't give him that spoon. He wants the other spoon. Mom, he's telling you he doesn't like that. Mom, the baby stinks!

I am grateful. When not rolling my own slightly exasperated eyes. He isn't always helpful when it's just me, but honestly he is very helpful with his little brother and has been since the beginning. Having him be so big when Max was born (he was four,) made him the perfect age to help...he would run to grab stuff out of the dryer or could bring mom her breastfeeding pillow. Life with James can be exasperating for all kinds of reasons, but none of them are that he doesn't like his brother and doesn't want to help. Max even crashed small group in school this morning, sigh. I'm honestly surprised it took that long. It's November, after all.

News from here, more of the same. Midweek holidays are kind of annoying but we had an okay Veterans day road trip yesterday which the kids enjoyed and mom found exhausting (cue picking two year old up out of the mud while dragging dog, the whole thing was reminiscent of the pre-tulip festival outing of roughly 100 years ago.

The COVID situation is out of control, so we are having to tighten our already tight ship as a friend of mine said today. My one in person, socially distanced in light quotation marks event for the weekend was moved to Zoom and we are probably not looking at socially distanced play dates or anything like that in the coming weeks. But it is baking season and the writing is going well and I stocked up on groceries today and life, while very 2020, could be a lot worse.

Media consumption: I'm almost done with that stupid book club book group, thank God. I've almost chucked it several times but every time it gets just a *tiny* bit better and for a few pages I think, hey, this isn't bad, and then it starts annoying me again. 

Today I'm grateful for math manipulatives, bath time, warm socks, hot apple cider, baking, recipes, NaNoWriMo, kindergarten reading assignments, and a post bedtime dinner planned with my husband. 

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