Monday, February 21, 2011

Exhaustion!

There is a lot you learn about yourself when you have kids.  I think your true self really comes out when you are exhausted.  And being exhausted is a much too common occurrence with young children. I thought once K and J were out of the infant stage, I wouldn't have days when I could fall asleep if I sat still for more than 5 minutes.  Oh, the naivety!   J has been sick; and when he doesn’t feel good, he doesn’t sleep good.  When he doesn’t sleep good, neither does Mom (me) or Dad.  Lucky for us, K sleeps like a rock and never wakes up during J’s nighttime crying sprees.  He is often the only one in the house getting a good night’s sleep.
I know I have next to no patience when I am tired.  Unfortunately this can affect both my work interactions, and more often my interactions with my boys.  At work I can generally keep myself in check, but at home, it seems harder to do. It's like my daily quota of patience was used up during the work hours.  K has a way of dillydallying  that is just so frustrating sometimes.  And when I have to ask him 5 times to get undressed or sit down in his chair etc, I find myself reaching the boiling point.  I am definitely more of a yeller at these moments than Dad is, ever.  And I often regret it later.  But that is something I learned about myself and I am working on to be a better parent.   I know my boys deserve my best, and don’t always get it.  I no I will never be a perfect parent, and that is OK too. 
 How about you?  What have you learned about yourself as a parent? (please share in the comment section below!) 

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