I find so often I need counsel. (Good Grief! Don't we all??). I have decided that when I am on the edge of the edge I find writing to others helps. This week in the middle of cleaning and babysitting and the gazillion other things I needed to be doing, I was so upset! I live in a house full of able bodied people who do not want to be helpers. That is so frustrating to me. One of my biggest peeves is the teen that acts like they just don't know what I am talking about......for example..... "____ Please sweep the porch." The reply, "WHAT?" or "____I washed your comforter, please go put it on your bed." The reply "My WHAT?".....it is as though they believe if I find them dimwitted enough I will just ask someone else, a smart person, to do the job. I'm sorry, some days I run very short on those smart people!! I do have some excellent helpers. On Wednesday as I was getting ready for company Michael walked beside me working with me all afternoon. He didn't try to hide. When I sent him on an errand he actually came back! So when the pizza arrived I told Michael to go first and said, "Michael I very much appreciate your help all afternoon, you may have all the pizza you want!" and the reply from my alleged dimwitted was " WHAT?!" Such is life and such is the reward for good labor!
I have gotten off course ....lol....I can do that too!
I stop when on the edge and write. I write notes to people whom I love and appreciate. This week I hit a mental "who do I send one to?" block so I pulled up my church directory online and began at the "A's" and chose someone from each section to write to. There are so many I rarely see and miss. Some who have drifted away from church and some that are incredibly faithful. I wrote and wrote until I got to the 'L's". You know, I felt better!!
It is always the case (to me) that doing something that is NOT about me (ha ha...something other than housework, kids.....the stuff that is all-consuming and it is all mine)....it helps. Perspective and redirection. It works for me, now if I can just figure out how to relate that "be nice and feel better" to my teenagers! :)
Why oh why do I forget that I am not the only mom with kids who play dumb? I tend to think that a few of mine are getting dumber every day and it is crazy making behavior on their part because you really DO NOT want me to think you are incapable of the simplest task. People who do not know what a pan is do not get priviledges around here like going places and having fun times with friends. I just had a daughter who will probably claim she "forgot" to empty the dishwasher this morning after I politely asked her - and reminded her - to do it before we left for school. Imagine her surprise when she finds out she will be doing ALL dishes by hand this weekend - and we are having company too!
ReplyDeleteI adore helpers! I do not have many right now and I am finding that I have more work to do now with 5 kids at home than I ever did with 10 here - but such is life.
I need to make time to be nice and feel better too!