Patience and the never ending bedtime

[CathMac]

Tonight was pretty typical. I got home from work and spent the bulk of my evening trying to get 4 1/2 year old DD1 to eat her dinner and a half hearted attempt to get her to poop despite the fact that this is the second day in a row that she hasn't had her hot wheat cereal with flax seed and minced prunes. This was topped off by the never ending bedtime which was prolonged --predictably enough-- by several trips to the bathroom to pee and, ultimately, half a poop.

Of course the only reason she pooped is because I gave her a couple of prunes and a small handful of chocolate covered sunflower seeds shortly after I got home from work.

So my patience is running pretty thin with DH for not coaxing any of the reliable "gotta go" foods (such as the hot wheat cereal I had all pre-cooked and ready to go) into her, and with DD1 for pushing my buttons all night.

I finally get DD1 and DD2 into bed for what seems like the last time. DD1 finds one last button to push (can't remember which one, not that it matters for the purpose of this story) and I hold my forefinger and thumb about half a centimeter apart and say "this is how much patience I have left". DD1 barely misses a beat, reaches up with her hand and spreads my finger and thumb about 3 inches apart and says "now you have more patience Mommy".

Wow. I could barely believe what I'd heard and I couldn't tell if she really thought she was somehow extending my patience or whether she'd instinctively found a novel way to fray my proverbial last nerve. I managed to not laugh or completely lose it held my arms wide apart and said "this is how much patience I would need this evening".

That's when she asked me what "evening" is.

Here's hoping tomorrow evening seems a little shorter.

~Cath

[Shanana]

I hear ya mama. Sometimes I don't know if I should laugh or cry! When you're not in the thick of it, you gotta give 'em credit for coming up with stuff like that though .

[labdogs42]

Oh, I hear you. My DS is exactly like that!! Now I"ll know not to give him the visual example of how much patience I have left. He'd probably do the same thing!! I don't have any advice, but I just wanted you to know you aren't the only one running out of patience with your 4 year old!

[shayinme]

I feel your pain, even having an early dinner time (6:30) which as a WOHM is really hard at times (gotta love crockpots) my 3.5 yo takes sooooo long to eat dinner that most nights if she is sleeping by 10, I am happy. Of course the situation is bad in the morning because she never wants to get up (7:30) .

We also deal with the stalling potty visits, so at 9:30 after bath, then she is like gotta go but doesn't....its hard.

Shay