KEEPING UP APPEARANCES

Written by Sheree Hoddinett

I do my best to be a positive influence on my girls. But sometimes they come out with the strangest words or concepts and I have to hide so they don’t see me laughing. That doesn’t make me a bad mum, right?! Honestly if you can’t laugh at your kids, what else have you got? Especially if you’re the lucky one spending a big chunk of the day with them. But on the other hand, I think I also do take the cake for being a horrible mum. Hear me out. This is one of those situations in life where I have to be a bit of the nice mum and a bit of the mean mum. I don’t like it but, my kids are driving me around the bend! Every little thing they can do to drive me bonkers, they have done it. It probably doesn’t help that we have had the longest school holidays ever here in Queensland!! 

I’ve decided I’m changing my name too. I’m no longer known as mum or Sheree, they’re both long gone. Don’t ask me what I’m changing it to, I haven’t decided yet, ha-ha! You probably don’t need to ask why. In fact, most mums would likely feel the same. “Mum, mum, mummmmmmm, MUM, MUMMY.….” on constant repeat and getting louder wears a bit thin over time. Mind you, it doesn’t seem to have the same effect in the kids in reverse, does it?! Whyyyyyyyyy????!!!! I think I’m almost as bad as them, I wonder where they get it from? I’m going to say their father!

I know I complain/whinge/carry on about my kids and their behaviour. Hey, it gives me a lot of my writing material, ha-ha! I know I’m responsible for them and therefore do my absolute best with everything. But I also fail. I’m not perfect (never have been!) and I can’t win all the time or ever, I think. I definitely don’t always get it right. I don’t know what “it” is really. Does anyone? Plus I have days where I make what feels like all the right decisions and yet it all goes to poop still. But what do I do? I put on my big girl pants, smile like nothing has happened and get on with things. Why? Because it seems that’s what we mums do! 

I’ve been told I’m the “worst mum in the world” about 100 times lately. That’s probably only a slight exaggeration too. Am I really the worst mum in the world? You’d have to ask my dearest darling angels (sarcasm intended) but they’ll put on their biggest smiles, bat their eyelashes at you and say I’m the “best mummy in the whole world”. Am I? Definitely not and I will never win any Mother of the Year awards. Maybe an “Average Mother of the Year” award would be better suited for me?!

Look I make all the jokes in the world about my kids, their behaviour/attitude and of course my skills as a mum. In reality, I may not be as bad as I think. Who knows? I’m not on the outside looking in. If I was, maybe I’d do things differently. In saying that, would I change how I do things as a mum? Nah, probably not. I love being able to use humour in my parenting and the way I relay things. I feel it keeps life interesting. Had a bad day? Lock the kids in the toy room and hide or better yet jump out from somewhere and scare the life out of them. It’ll make you feel better for a few minutes at least! Or another really good one….if you’re out with the kids and they are being obnoxious little you-know-what’s, walk away and pretend you don’t know them. Trust me other parents know what you’re doing and smile, probably because they have either done it themselves or they really want to!

Parenting is hard and without a rulebook, no one knows the right or wrong way to do things, you just have to wing it. I look at that as my style….most of the time. Yes I get it right sometimes and I most definitely get things wrong a lot of other times. I get sad about it and I talk to my friends (you know who you are!), we laugh together and then we do it all again.

Check out my other “awesome” parenting blog at www.shereekim.com.

Until next time….