Has parenting always been hard?

I just love a fresh new opportunity (to tell you my garbage).  It gets it off my chest, so there.  heehee  And I can SO use some stress relieving!! : )  I am LoViNg my new Bath and Body Works line of relaxing Aromatherapy stuff (I got them in Branson-two for one!!): I got the pillow mist (seriously helps me drift right off!), the lotion pump (I use every time I wash in my bathroom, and I come get some when I'm stressed-the smell, mmmm...goood), the hand cream, and the body mist.  I already have the balm (something like that-it's for your wrists-I used it for our Disney trip last year, and I was hooked). It's the eucalyptus and spearmint scent.  It's clean, kinda like you just brushed your teeth, doesn't make me hungry-kinda smell.  And relaxing.


Although the clean smell reminds me of something...


On Monday, Clay (and Mary Claire) didn't have school.  He got creative, cut up some paper and made a volcano.  Upstairs was smelling really good (he uses Axe body spray we got tons of free at the JDRF walk last fall), and I just figured he sprayed after his bath.  Well, long story short, Ethan was screaming before long, and he was telling us that Clay sprayed his mouth, and he was gonna "Die" (seriously his words-remember he's ThRee!).  We grilled Clay, and he said Ethan breathed some in, and probably tasted it, and that's why he thought it went into his mouth..fast forward to later Monday morning.  We had some friends over playing, and Clay got all bragg-y, and was showing off his volcano.  He set it down, sprayed something up through the handy cut-out hole, and smokey, foggy, whitish (good-smelling) smoke was coming out of the volcano!  Yep, the Axe.  So now we know Ethan was tasting the "volcano".  Hmm.

Which reminds me of today.  After Mary Claire's bath, I was drying her hair.  She was primping in front of her mirror, and began using her various products.  She now uses (well, periodically) Secret Hannah Montana deodorant. She rubbed it on, oohed and aahed over the wonderful scent (probably her way of thanking me for buying it), then smiled at herself in the mirror (you know, the coy, shoulder up, model pose?).  I really think you are only capable of loving yourself just the way you are (and in front of a mirror) if you are 9 and under.

Which reminds me.. in the next room, was my SLeePiNg baby!  I let him stay outside ALL afternoon after Mother's Day Out!  It was SO warm and sunny.  I figured I'd try the No Nap again, and see if tonight went better (it did, btw!!).  We played train track, and I pushed him on the swing, he played doctor, drove his tractor, rode his tricycle, we played golf, catch...sharpened pencils, you know, sunny day stuff!  Anyway, he was so strung out, he went right to sleep.  Precious.  We needed an early night after all his antics for the past week!  Let's just see when he wakes up.  It's been 5:30am-ish lately.  Blech.

Which reminds me... (okay, it's getting old).


I went to the teacher store today to get stuff to teach my second grader. It seems that five days a week isn't doing the trick.  She got N's (Needs Improvement, as in Below Grade Level, as in Momma Goes Nuts) in Math and Writing.  Well.  This is totally unacceptable to me.  I don't understand how a really intelligent child isn't figuring this stuff out.  So, I got new flash cards (yes, addition AND subtraction 0-12 AND subtraction 13-18), a book on Writing (for the bargain basement teacher store price of 29.99, but Reproducible-handy only if I were teaching 25 kids!), a book on grammar and mechanics (which I really like, and she loves, btw!), and a kinda-fun book on addition and subtraction.  Today I made her a chart with her assignments (2-3 pages of each Every day!).  And get this: she loved them!  She just ate it up.  I don't know if it was the one-on-one time with me, or just the fun of coloring some math problems, circling subjects and predicates, and naming more specific topics to write about!  She says she can't wait till tomorrow.  Huh.  All I can say is how long will she love it?

I was tempted to make her miss girl scouts, and maybe stop gymnastics to do more "Home Work", but it doesn't sound like much of a punishment!  I heard a great re-broadcast on XM Radio today of a Dr. Oz show about Children Who Soar (a book by Drs. Eppler-Wolff and Davis) and how kids used to just come home from school and play till dark: play was fun, not a scheduled soccer game with performance pressure), and we didn't have the same expectations.  It was more or less that way when I was young.  I don't remember doing anything except girl scouts.  Now, my kids are double-booked some nights!  I don't like it, but I realize they have to get ahead (of what?) now, since everyone else is doing so much. I guess I'm already thinking college, and their need to be well-rounded, and I want them to experiment to see what they really enjoy.  If they don't like it, they don't have to play it next season.


What I've discovered is it's hard to be a parent these days (not that I've parented in any other decade..).  I'm sure societal pressures are different, but gosh.  Standards are high, and I want my kids to make the grade, and get the scholarship! (and be clean, and have good manners, and pray every day, and look cute, and be on time, and play well with others, and get enough exercise, and get enough sleep, and keep their rooms clean, and have good blood sugar, and not text and drive, and I could go on forever..)  It's so hard that we have to decide what's most important (ok, I'm thankful someone isn't telling me what to do), and gamble with it's right-ness or wrong-ness.  Lord, let it be right!