Disappointment

Probably one of the hardest things for me as a parent is watching my kids go through disappointment.  From a young age to now, there is always something that they are turned down from, fail at or left out of and it hurts me just as much as it seems to hurt them! 

I know we all think our kids can do no wrong and are perfect, but I don’t think I am one of those Mums who, just because their kids likes to sing, is going to let them try out to Idol if they can’t actually do it!   But anyway, how do you handle it, when they are so hurt and disappointed and look to you to help put it right?  Some things are just out of our control, even if it is tempting to interfere and call someone up and ask them, “why the hell not?”.   You see those dance Mums on the TV all the time, and there is nothing they won’t stop at to help their kids get to where they want to be, but what is it really teaching them?   That mummy will bail you out or to fight for what you want?  The scary thing is, I can totally see me being that kind of Mum and I have to fight hard sometimes to not head into situations with guns blazing!  Anyone that knows me knows I don’t usually shy away from things, although I do think I am better with age.

I now try and encourage my kids into asking for themselves, like why did I get overlooked or why did you make that decision, but one of my kids is, well she is not exactly your confrontational type and doesn’t like to ask why, or why not as the case may be.  Actually, don’t get me wrong, if it was someone dissing her friends and family, she’d be in there confronting them alright, but when it’s personal, no, suddenly she can’t.  I struggle to get that sometimes, because it’s the complete opposite of who I am, because in my mind, how are you going to improve or maybe understand, if you don’t ask why?

Arrggghhhh... I love my kids and just want what any parent wants, for them to be happy! It sucks when they aren't and you can't make it right!!

Love you Brodie and Kaley!!

xx

Bad Sleep!

You know that feeling when you are really tired and you climb into bed and just melt into the mattress, snuggling down and fall straight into a beautiful sleep?  Well last night I had the opposite!

I had some work to finish off for work, so I sat up doing that and catching up on recorded TV programs, finally around 1am I went to bed but instead of snuggling in all comfy, I was the opposite, it was like suddenly the mattress was a slab of concrete!  I tossed and turned, left side, right side, Tummy, back, but then, probably from my tossing and turning, husband rolled onto his back!  Oh shit!  The noise started!

Freight train anyone??  Are you serious? Now, not only does my mattress feel like concrete, but I am sleeping next to a train!  Toss, turn, toss, turn, seriously comtemplating the couch, or going and climbing into Brodie's bed with her!  "Arrrggghhhhh!!  SHUT UP!!!"

"Huh? What"? Says husband.

"You're snoring!" I say through gritted teeth, "roll over!"

Ahhhh, suddenly the bed is comfy again and that is the last thing I remember.... till the alarm!

Good Deeds?

Last week my daughter "misplaced" her phone at school.  Probably what happened is she put it down somewhere and took her eyes off it, or it fell out of her pocket, but either way, it went missing.  Whoever found this phone did not hand it in and Kaley did search extensively for it.    

Kaley was devastated that someone took her prized possession!  She was also devastated that just last week she found $25 in cash in the loos at school and handed it in, only to find someone else didnt do her the same courtesy!   She was crying to me, its just not fair Mum, I always try and do the right thing, so why didn't good things come back to me?  I don't know the answer to that at all, in fact my heart just broke!  We take the time to teach our kids to do the right thing, only for what?  I always tell her, you put good out and you get good back, she is now demanding of me, where is her good back?

Her biggest upset about losing the phone is the Memory Card in it.  You know the memory card you move from phone to phone and add new photos and videos.  All now gone.  Memories lost, like a non backed up HDD failure on your computer.  She was like, and don't laugh, Awww Mum, all my One Direction videos from the concert! 

To my baby girl, I am so sorry that some people are just mean and yes, you should continue to put good out, even if you don't always get good back, because imagine the world of pain you get if you put bad out!

Lost in translation

We have taken in a Japanese Exchange student for a couple of weeks and its all good fun, except the communications.  Her paper work did say her English was poor, but more accurately it perhaps should have said "Limited to Greetings, please and thank you"!  It has definitely been a learning time for us all and our family life has turned into one big game of charades!  My acting skills have been tested trying to describe pre-dinner, what mashed potato's are or a sausage for that matter!  (yes yes we went there and fed her Bangas and Mash, and for the record, she loved it!).  She takes photos of food in the supermarkets, she takes photos of the food we serve her, and I do wonder what on earth her family are going to think of the Apple Crumble in the bottom of a bowl is!

Poor Kanako (her name) walked in yesterday while Kaley and I were play fighting (as you do) and I happened to have Kaley in a head lock at the time.  I immediately let go and Kaley and I both laughed, but poor Kanako went back to her room.  Kaley followed and tried to explain we were just playing, but I am guessing she was either sceptical or wanted no part of that game!  Lost in translation somewhere, I tried to explain again over dinner, when I was telling Adi what happened, but she just kind of looked at me oddly, rather than laugh like we were that Kaley had it coming!

Brodie asked her last night what she was missing most from home and her reply was, "talking"!  Awww, I totally wish we could talk more too, then I could explain that I really don't beat up my kids... often!