Being the mother of 4 girls has really been...something. My older girls are 10 and 8. The younger girls are 17 months and almost 4. They each take their turns being dramatic about whatever they should feel like it. Sometimes, they don't take turns. It could be that up to 3 of them are being dramatic all at once. There are times when that happens, my husband and I will refer to it as, "the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth". We might also call it the wailing wall.
I'm not sure how mothers of any MORE than 4 girls manage. My husband is a great support! I have girl friends who are great for various kinds of help.
Why do girls save all the drama for the mama? It gets really bad sometimes. There's so much drama being thrown at me, that by the time my husband gets home, I'm more than ready to not only share the drama, but give it all to him. He's so calm. More often than not, he doesn't seem to let it phase him.
How 'fortunate' we are to be so hormonal! haha! Probably the hardest part is for me to NOT react to the drama. It is so hard! You want drama?! You want whining? You want yelling??!! No, I don't like yelling, despite my childrens belief. There are times that I'll mimic the way my 8 yo is acting to show her what it's like. It has its effectiveness. Truly, this drama wears me out! It is SO draining. It's a wonder I need to sleep so much. But then its no good if that drama seeps into my dreams and keeps me from feeling rested even after plenty of sleep.
As an example, last night my dreams were highly charged with plenty of negative emotions. First, being a vivid dreamer isn't helpful. Second, reading a book that is filled with emotional turmoil is also probably not a good idea for me. Third, events that COULD happen with my girls in a day, there is no telling what dreams may come. They are not necessarily nightmares. They just certainly are not good dreams, they can be frustrating to be sure. With these ingredients combined, we have a recipe for feeling yucky and frustrated in the morning. I do what I can to remind me that they were all just dreams....horribly, emotionally frustrating dreams, but dreams nonetheless.
Please don't think that all I do is complain about my house of drama. It's not dramatic ALL the time. At least not when all the girls are here. :) I truly do love my girls. I feel that we are learning and growing together. Hopefully, when they have their own kids, they'll be somewhat understanding. Isn't that what moms have been threating/thinking for centuries? 'One day, when you have your own kids, you'll see....' That mantra has made its way into my thoughts lately. And of course, it also opens my eyes of understanding for things that my mom went through with us when we were kids.
At times it can be rather painful for me. My parents seem to have led me to believe that I was this fantastic angel child. By comparison to my siblings, I'll admit that I was not quite the trouble they were. However, my children inadvertently remind me of how I was in younger days. It makes me cringe inside. My heart breaks for them and I want to apologize. (SIGH) There are times as well that I want to give them that look of shock/disbelief and say, "Where is your mother?"
Currently, when referring to said girls that give me SO much drama, it's usually the 10 yo or the 8 yo. The almost 4 yo is catching up. She is starting to have her fits of drama. Most of the time, she is such a happy and enthusiastic girl. I like to say that my younger 2 girls are the balance to the older 2 girls. Yin & yeng. Laman & Lemual to Nephi and Sam, but really only as a comparison for personality, not so much in righteousness. They are good girls. The older 2 have not yet tied up their little sisters, thank heavens! :)
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