Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Mommy & Me Time. Must We?

Monday night I went clothes shopping with and for Abby. This always proves to be a most unpleasant experience as Abby and I have quite different tastes. She basically limits herself to skinny jeans and a very specific style of sweatpants. Tops cannot have buttons. Skirts cannot be worn to school. Pink is out, as are ruffles, ribbons and bows. Basically anything remotely "girly."

This clothes shopping experience reminded me of the many other things I dislike doing with Abby:
  • Homework, particularly math: Her math homework is difficult and I feel stupid when she asks me for help. And I think she asks for help just to make me feel stupid.
  • Driving: The kid has road rage and she's never been behind the wheel. Everytime I slow down she has a fit and I have to explain that it's unacceptable to drive through the vehicle in front of me. To say I'm anxious about her actually driving one day would be an understatement.
  • Hair styling: We argue about the length of her hair (I want to cut off about eight three inches; she thinks losing 1/4 inch counts as a hair cut). We argue about brushing her hair. And I am completely unable to manage a decent braid like any good mother should be able to do.
  • Family Game Night: If you know anything about my daughter, you know she's competitive. That means when she loses a game, tears and frustration are a given. She usually announces that she's never playing with us again. The exception to this scenario is when we play Set or 24. Then she's unbeatable and the rest of us vow to never play those games again with her.
  • Offering my humble opinion: Abby lives for thoroughly enjoys praise.Who doesn't? Generally when she asks me my opinion on something, she's assuming I will gush with compliments. When I offer the slightest bit of constructive feedback, she becomes angry and tells me I'm always "so critical."
I realize this is a fairly lengthy list of trouble spots in my relationship with my daughter, however it's nothing compared to the list that Ian would share, given the opportunity. Perhaps I'll ask him to blog about it someday. Of course that would do nothing to improve their already fragile relationship.

To make me feel better, please share some of those things you particularly dislike doing with your son or daughter. Admit it. It gets near impossible dull always looking for the positive. So pour yourself a glass of wine and let it all out...

2 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

I'm brave enough to go first without even a glass of wine. Just a little whine...

- I also hate shopping for clothes with Katie. She is so fussy about what she will actually wear. I get frustrated that the SWEARS she will wear the adorable frilly $40 skirt if I buy it. and much like Charley Brown & Lucy, she pulls the football away from me every time.

- homework.

- checking on her during bath time. It inevitably leads to me becoming frustrated over her 1)mess in the bathroom 2) water all over the floor 3)inability to actually do what she was told instead of giving all her dolls a shower in the sink, while singing completely naked in front of the mirror.


great post Kim!

Peggy Kendall said...

So, we are out of wine, but, let me tell you how "blessed" I have been at my daughter's ability to pick apart every public speaker (seriously, I don't know where she gets that). It is especially a"blessed" time when she listens to me. She will inevitably corner me with a list of things I could do better. Her favorite line: "Mom, use your words. Your face was not meant to do that." The most "blessed" is when I can see her in the audience--staring, frowning, rolling her eyes....I become a bumbling idiot.*sigh*...Oh, thank you for letting me get that off my chest. I feel much better.