Life in the Fast Lane
By Sheree Echlin
Does it ever end? While I’m busy trying not to pull my hair out, the mini versions of me are on their usual path of destruction and laughing back at mummy. Because apparently not listening to mummy is the funniest thing ever. And when they gang up together of course it’s even funnier to defy/poke fun at/destroy mummy! They know when you are down and they love it.
It takes about five minutes of peaceful happy times before chaos ensues again. These days it’s usually one child stirring the other because they can and things escalate from there, leaving me trying to work out who to yell at….sorry, I mean speak to in a calm voice….first. It’s funny how nicely they play together when they want/have to, but the minute I’m not looking the world’s biggest drama unfolds over the silliest of things. I know I can’t talk because I used to try and get my older brother in trouble when we were growing up. Not that it always worked mind you, he had some sneaky tricks of his own and mum was pretty good at working out who the instigator ended up being. But it’s good to see the old sibling war is alive and well for me these days, just a little bit of history repeating.
The attitude of my three-year-old (yes three not 13 or 30) is insane! Seriously, how much attitude can a three-year-old have? Has karma come back to bite me a thousand times over?! If I say no, she throws yes back at me. She huffs and puffs, stomps her feet, rolls her eyes, screams and squeals. It gets even better (not sure who for) when she tries to tell me what to do. Don’t even get me started on her very independent little sister!! Monkey see monkey do springs to mind right now!
The strong-willed determination that I love in my girls is also sometimes my downfall.
They know how to win me over with their cute smiles but also push me down with their full-on craziness. But they know when mummy starts to move or turns on her “Mummy voice” that they are about to find themselves in a lot of trouble. Sometimes they laugh and run away but mummy is always faster. Well for now anyway (haha!). It’s funny how much of my own mum I can see or hear in myself sometimes. You have to laugh about some of the things you say or do because you know you learnt from the best (thanks mum!). I can only hope I’m doing a good enough job that my girls might feel the same way if they choose to have their own children one day.
I have always been honest in admitting that being a mum can be a tough gig. It’s not exactly getting any easier as my girls continue to grow either. But it’s definitely changing, whether it is for the better, the jury is still out on that one! Although not babies anymore (they will always be my babies whether they like it or not) I know they still rely very heavily on me and it’s nice to have a bond only we share. We do get to have a lot more fun together and there are always plenty of giggles, especially when it comes to certain body noises (we can’t let the boys have all the fun there!). But it’s certainly not always fun and games and there are definitely times where being a parent can suck. Discipline is a necessary evil, but I know my girls need rules to help create boundaries as well. Unfortunately, I can’t always be the good guy and I have been told a few times lately by Miss Izzie when she’s in trouble that I’m not her mummy anymore. It lasts about two minutes, but it’s never nice to hear!
What I never expected to gain from being a mum is a greater sense of achievement from not only creating but shaping two little lives in the world. I was given the privilege of having these beautiful but very cheeky little girls and for whatever reason they chose me to be their mum...although, I can’t help thinking maybe the stork got lost on the way to the cabbage patch (just kidding!). They may not always like me (too bad they’re stuck with me) but I hope one day they can look back and see I only did what I thought was best…well, most of the time anyway.
There is always something happening in my crazy world of being a mum! Read more of my crazy ups and downs at shereeechlin.com