Tuesday, May 17, 2011

What is Your Limit with Your Children?

Why on earth do children feel that they have to wait until the last minute to inform their parents of something they need for school?  Especially, when it is something that takes more time than just running to the store and picking up!


Yesterday, my son comes home from school and says "Mom, I need something made for class".  I reply "What do you need and when do you need it by?"  He answers "I need something baked and uh, mmh...I need it in the morning???" (as he lowers his voice so I can barely hear him)
Momma isn't happy!

Children have such a simplified picture of life.  Wake up, go to school, come home, and enjoy life unless mom or dad ask you to do something, which of course you will need to gripe about because your 'enjoying life' has been interrupted!

Me, on the other hand, seem to always be two to three steps behind where I'm supposed to be at most times. So, when you through in a little 'surprise' on me, I get all scatter-brained.  I like to be organized.  I can roll with the flow most days, but yesterday I was already behind in my business and was diligently working to get caught up.

I tell my son to check the cupboards to see if there was something I could make for his project.  Oh, and by the way?  This is for a grade in his Advanced English course!  He finds a box of Brownies.  "Here mom, we can make these" and heads back to his X-box game.  I'm standing in the kitchen with a box of Duncan Hines Brownie mix and wondering where the 'we' came into the picture!   I lay the box on the kitchen counter so I won't forget to make these damn brownies before I go to bed, and head back to finish what I was previously doing before he dropped the bomb on me.

I'm finally finished with my day's work and I think to myself  'I believe I'm going to watch a little TV before I go to sleep' and I venture to the kitchen to refill my drink.  Damn!  There sits that box of brownies!  Shit, need to get these made.  What do I need?  Two eggs, oil, water.  Simple enough.  11 x 9 pan.  "Son?  Hey, how many kids are in your class?  How many?  I need 25-30 brownies?"  I'm looking at this pan and in my head saying there is no f'n way I'm going to get that many brownies out of this recipe!  Especially after my hubby smells them baking!

Brownies stacked on a plate.Image via Wikipedia
Mix, bake, cool.  That works for me.

So, what am I doing at 5:30 this morning???  Baking cookies!  Chocolate Chunk to be exact.  I only got 16 brownies out of the pan. Okay, so I admit it...I had a few myself at around 3 am.  They just kept calling me and I couldn't resist.

It's 6:45 am, I know have 16 brownies and 32 cookies, nicely layered in a container and ready to go.  My son comes downstairs and says "Ya know mom...we needed to have our recipe written out to go with it".  As I am ready to grab the nearest weapon and beat the daylights out of my son, I reply "Son, this is a boxed brownie mix.  How do you expect me to write a recipe for a mix out of a box???"  He answers "I think it was supposed to be a home made recipe."  "Bullshit!" I say "A little late to remember that key note.  You are leaving for school in 10 minutes.  Take it or leave it" as I dig the box out of the garbage to type up a 'recipe' for the brownies.  As for the cookies?  I told him to tell them they are the same cookies that Subway sells!
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10 comments:

baldychaz said...

With our two its usualy stuff for a project, money or fancy blinking dress ;(

alejandro guzman said...

F'in Brilliant you found your own voice! I mean F'in awesome Anna. And it made me laugh!!!

Love you
A

Jessica M said...

I could so relate to this post!! Just a couple weeks ago we missed the bus, yet again, because my daughter, last minute, had forgotten her library book inside the house!

It's always something! Yes, kids lives are simplified, but I think that's a good thing. They get all too complicated soon enough!

Laura said...

I love it!!!! You sound like me :)

Unknown said...

@ Baldychaz...I guess I forgot to mention the 'money' part. Yeh, that seems to happen more often then not!
@ A...so happy to have gotten a laugh out of you. It becomes you:)
@Jessica...we don't have buses out here because we live in the country and he goes to a city school so we have to drive him each day. There have been many a morning I have felt like leaving his ass at home because he was late. But then, of course, he would just have the day to sit around and do nothing.
@ Born Storyteller...I'm going to try that next time, which of course now won't be until next year. School is out this Friday!
@ Laura...Yep! You and I sound very much alike after reading your posts :)

Maryhocam said...

I'm of the Born Storyteller school of thought. Help them once but if they don't help themselves I leave them to learn the lesson the hard way. When the consequences come from someone else they learn much faster:-)

Anonymous said...

LOL I am so glad that someone else has these Bullshit moments. LOL thanks for the lovely read!

A.Rozinov said...

Perfect story!...and something reminded me! :-)

Marty said...

Bless 'em
I guess we forget that kids live in a seperate kind of world with their own individuals stresses and concerns. They are likely the same as we once experienced but have forgotton. Sounds like your son telling you quietly was carrying a little guilt for not letting you know earlier. Still, I guess its not the end of the world, however I understand the frustration.

bjbohls said...

Hello Anna -

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your story. I laughed and relate to every feeling, every frustration, and every emotion you so calmly retrained haha. "Tell them they're the same cookies that Subway makes" is classic. Love it so much.

You got a little frustrated, huh (BS) hahahahahahaha. It happens to the best of us. My first thought though, why not cut the back of the box and send the manufacturer instructions with him? I'm guessing you were not in the best of moods at that moment, lol.

You write really well and I love reading your words. Great Post Anna. :)

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