Tuesday, November 17, 2009

True Story Tuesday and Parenting 101




*Disclaimer: I've thrown Alex under the bus a few times so I just want it to be known that, while he does provide me with fabulous blogging material, he is a rockin' dad and a wonderfully romantic husband with a great sense of humor!*


On Thursday mornings my husband takes Jack to school. Since Melody has school at 8:45 and Jack has school at 8, I appreciate his willingness to go to work later than he prefers and save me some time.

However, since Daddy is home on Thursday, this makes for a very chaotic morning. This past Thursday was pretty much the most chaotic yet. In fact, reliving that morning over and over would probably be the equivalent of my personal hell. We had a busted, leaky diaper from Charlie that required a rinsing in the tub, a cleaning of the tub, and then an actual bath. After finally getting everyone dressed, downstairs, and settled at the table with their waffles.

Usually Daddy goes downstairs and works from home until it's time to leave. However, this time he brought his laptop upstairs and sat at the kitchen table.

While the kids are eating breakfast and I'm standing in the kitchen waiting to bring them more of whatever it is they want I realize I had forgotten to make Jack's lunch. As I'm trying to tell him to bring me his lunch bag and water bottle, he's in the midst of explaining to me that he refilled his water bottle yesterday so he doesn't need new water in it. As I'm trying to tell him him that water that is close to 24 hours old is not good and he just needs to obey me, he drops the water bottle (in the sink fortunately) sending water everywhere. He's still talking instead of listening to me and at some point a juice box flew out of my hand and hit the wall. (No idea how that happened. I swear) Alex is still just sitting at the table immersed in his email.

I finally get things cleaned up, talk to Jack about not talking when I'm talking, and get him off to school.

After dropping Jack off, my husband calls me to discuss the incident. I tell him that Thursday mornings are just too chaotic for me. I have a hard time getting the kids ready because they are excited that Daddy is there and that I expect him to help me but he's not because he's on the computer working. I told him that if he wanted/needed to work that was fine, but to please go down to the man-cave and stay there until it was time to leave for school.

"Oh," he said. "I didn't realize you expected me to parent."

(Yes, he was completely serious when he made that statement.)

Thank you, honey, for communicating so well with me. But let me clarify; if you are in the vicinity of your children, I do expect you to parent. Especially when I am on the brink of insanity and throwing juice boxes juice boxes are randomly flying about.

27 comments:

Bren said...

Oh - only out of the mouths of men! That is a classic comment! I usually just do the "ahem - ahem - some help please" until Sean realizes he needs to jump into the game!

SouthernDogwoods said...

What would we do without them? Ha! I love it!

lsnellings said...

Sometimes I think Alex makes bonehead comments like that just so you have blogging material.

Kelli said...

Why is it that kids get so excited and crazy when Daddy is around. I have the same issue at my house too.

Kmama said...

Isn't it funny how the d@mn house can be falling down around you and children can be hanging from the ceiling, and yet, THEY are totally oblvious?!?!

Brandi said...

BAAAAAHAHAHA!!! I swear, you just made my morning. Although, my husband has never said that out loud, I know he's thought it!

Erin said...

OH MY GOODNESS this reminds me of my husband but 50 times worse ( my husband is worse I mean ) . . playing a stupid computer game that I just can't get him to break! Oh how when your child is in sight, no the mom is not the only parent!!!! :) Love this story!

love that a juice box just randomly flew into the wall, maybe next time it should just hit him in the head ha ha ha!

He & Me + 3 said...

That is so funny and so how mine is too sometimes. I think a bomb could go off & he would still be sitting there watching the game. LOL

Kelli W said...

Too funny! Kind of sounds like my house...except I don't think I've ever thrown a juice box...maybe a waffle though:)

Jennie said...

Oh. I thought my Hubby was the only one to sound like a bonehead :)

Stacyonthecouch said...

oooh that's a morning I'd be heading back to bed when the kids were gone at all costs!

Mr. Daddy said...

I don't see the problem here???

just another boneheaded comment I guess????

Swimmin in an estrogen ocean here ladies.... ROFL

Summer said...

BHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (no words for this one....)

Meant to be a mom said...

Hah, I love this post. I am sorry to hear you had a bad morning last Thursday. I had a similar "bad morning" a couple of weeks ago and I only have 1 child.
I'm with you, If your around the child in any way. You need to be doing your parenting duties. :)

Anonymous said...

When in the heck did the word "parent" cross over from being a noun to being a verb? Cause there's your problem. When I was a kid, we had parents. That's what they were. There was no turning it off and on. They just WERE parents. And parents did THINGS, like smiling, hugging, spanking, wiping tears, putting you on their shoulders, but they did not "parent". They WERE parents, and that was that. just sayin'... (and hey, Mr. Daddy, you remember those times,don'tcha?)

Alex said...

Two corrections:

1) On the morning in question, Emily ASKED me to work upstairs.

2) I wasn't watching a game, or playing a game, or entertaining my self in any way. I was earning money to put food on the table.

I don't know how much more abuse I can take around here. ;-)

Alex said...

One more: I was feeding oatmeal to Charlie the whole time. That's the kid who screams if more than three seconds pass between swallowing one bite and the next one passing his lips.

Daily Tales of Sugar and Spice said...

so funny. sounds like you have a normal household like ours!

Carrie said...

Oh my! At least he understands that now! I honestly don't get how Dads can sit without a clue during situations like that! And why when I'm completely in the opposite end of the house and Daddy is right in front of them I always hear, "Mommy!" and I yell back, "Ask Daddy! he's RIGHT THERE!" sigh... haha!

Angie said...

I feel you girl! Sounds like my house...and Alex commenting...that is great! HA!!

{Kimber} said...

MEN!!!!! geezzzzzzzzz sooooo clueless sometimes!

Rachel said...

Oy... It drives me nuts that some people will consider it 'babysitting' when a guy watches his own kids... but it seems that sometimes Moms end up taking care of all the million little "parent" things even when both are around.

In his defense, Mr. Daddy does a fabulous job when I'm not around :)

Sorry about the juice box!

Foursons said...

Oh my gosh- I just read your hubby's comments. Why am I not surprised that he had a whole rebuttal to defend himself? Bahahahaha! This is classic- so glad you wrote it down and shared with us!

Eve said...

'to parent'? Isn't that a never ending job? Hehe. ;)

Gretchen said...

Bwa ha ha that is too funny.

Thursday is my hubs' day off too, and (take it from me) you need to just tell him, OKAY TODAY IS YOUR SCHEDULED DAY TO PARENT. MOMMY NEEDS TO SLEEP IN.

On Thursday mornings my hubs does the get-up-pack-lunch-shove-em-out-the-door-to-the-bus thing. But for some reason he has so much trouble with it, and I always end up waking up. Amazing how on M-T-W-F, he can sleep right through it!

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

Hilarious! Daddy being home really does add to the confusion and chaos, doesn't it. It takes me longer to get the girls ready and I feel like I have more to do.

Heidi Boos said...

So true, so true! It is sometimes a blessing and a curse when daddy's around in those mornings that you're rushing to get out the door. It seems weird that we sometimes actually have to say "Um, I could use a little help here!"

Love those daddies!! Because, without them, all sanity might be gone for good. ;)