It is so bad that she will only eat the marshmallows from her Lucky Charms. Did you catch that I am feeding my daughter Lucky Charms? Yes, I know better. My first and second born were restricted to plain Cheerios only. Now look at us! What have we become?
We used to be such good parents, paying close attention to what went in and what came out. Documenting sleep patterns and diaper changes, washing clothes in special detergent for no reason in particular other than a cute baby was on the bottle, and sanitizing anything that fell on the floor. That is the short list.
Things are a little different now. We don't have any real documentation other than a birth certificate and some photos of our last child. She does take a nap, but only one (our others were still taking two at this point), her clothes get washed with the rest of ours, and things on the floor - that's laughable. I figure if it looks edible, it is edible. If there isn't anything that I can see on it then it can't be dirty and she can put it back in her mouth.
I am torn between feeling like a lazy mother and mother of 4. I am sure there is a difference, and the amount of energy it would require to recreate the toddler years of our first baby for our fourth is on par with a nuclear bomb. I don't have it in me. And even if I did, the results might be similar to a bomb going off!
So how is my punishment being doled out? She is crazy. She woke up at 7:00 hungry but refusing to eat. The protesting continued for two hours. She ate the marshmallows wicked fast and then cried because they were gone and she didn't want to eat the boring sugar coated oat cereal pieces that were left.
And then she found a package of PEZ candy that her brother left on the floor in his room and ate most of it, including the wrapper, before I discovered her. She is like an addict, willing to eat the paper packaging to get to the good stuff!
Finally, she has had some milk and ate some of the boring cereal and is quietly sitting in front of the TV. I don't dare disturb her for fear that she will start crying again. At this moment Daniel Tiger is keeping her and me happy. Thank you PBS.
Now to figure out how to defeat this cute little candy monster. It's nice to have a goal.
Haha! What a great and candid post. I think we all go through our phases of feeling wonderful and pitiful as mothers. The candy addiction is real, as in she probably needs a detox. You probably need a detox too...you know something that involves sleep and healthy food not prepared by yourself. We have two. I want a big family but honestly I don't know how I can pull myself together to have another much less two more!!!! Life is tough. Don't be too hard on yourself. Get some rest and go back to the basics. She will be hungry enough eventually. And remember...if she is nearing the age of two she is hitting that *awesome* stage of terrible two's. As terrible as the 2's are, 3 is worst. Keep us posted on your candy monster. I love Daniel Tiger. Only slow mellow PBS is allowed in this house. My brain and patience can't take more than Curious George these days=)
ReplyDeleteHaha. But I am sure she is just the cutest little candy monster so somehow that makes it OK :)
ReplyDeleteOne Easter, D2 actually got "drunk" off peeps and Pez candy. She was so high she couldn't stop drooling. She'll NEVER live that down. Let me explain the difference to you between a "lazy" mother and a mother of 4. A lazy mother would never get to child #2. So, it looks to me that your doing pretty darn good! When you are so outnumbered, somedays you just gotta do what you can to get through the day!!! :)
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