LIFE IN THE DEMANDING LANE

Written by Sheree Hoddinett

Did you know I’m a rubbish bin? As well as a broom, vacuum cleaner, servant and any other title you want to throw at me. We all know that life as a parent means we have a fair bit of responsibility for the little people in our lives. But when they reach a certain age of independence (don’t ask me exactly what it is, could be 1, 4 or even 10), there should be a point of recognition where they take some responsibility for themselves, right?! Wrong! Oh, except when they want to be independent and you are the worst parent in the world for not letting them have their own way, that’s just a different league of its own.

I know I’m raising mini versions of myself. They have sass and attitude that will keep them going for life. I just don’t need it thrown at me on a daily basis. Or ever really. Just remember we as parents, don’t know anything. We couldn’t possibly understand what it’s like to be a kid, because we never were one apparently. While we grew up in an era long before social media ruled the world and everyone’s lives, we still had the experience of being a kid. The joys of getting out and having fun and then the downside of being told no when we desperately asked for something. Not really sure much has changed in that aspect of growing up. I don’t think the word no will be disappearing from our vocabulary somehow.

There’s no denying the world sure is a different place now to when I was a kid. We knew war and poverty existed but it wasn’t thrust into our faces so freely and bullying has taken on a whole new level to what it once was. Don’t even get me started on Covid. When I was my eldest daughter’s age, the biggest sickness getting around (from what I remember) was chicken pox and everyone wanted to be infected to get it over and done with! If only things were that simple now. But if anything, it certainly shows how resilient kids still are and that’s one thing that never seems to change throughout the generations.

What I didn’t expect as a parent was the extreme changes kids can go through at any given moment. Women are often seen as hormonal and irrational creatures (not our fault, of course!) but kids are on another level altogether. Who would have thought that you could ruin their day by not cutting their toast correctly or if one child gets an extra mouthful of soft drink over the other, it’s end of world territory! It sounds ridiculous but it happens. Plus I’ve learnt that different coloured plates can cause arguments and sometimes one child’s cup is just simply the better one out of the bunch. Sigh. Now I’m staring down the barrel of life with a hormonal pre-teen, that is just a level way way way out of this world. Moody is a nice way to describe her on a good day and she’s only 8. I’m terrified to think what life will look like in a few short years. Send help, I’m going to need lots of wine! 

Life with kids is never dull or boring. The kids may tell you otherwise, especially once they start talking and then extending their vocabulary. There is always something happening that just keeps me on my toes. Even having girls, there are still plenty of accidents and mishaps. It just means there is way more tears and tantrums thrown into the mix as well. I do constantly remind myself that this “difficult” times won’t last forever, but it’s pretty hard to remain level headed when your child is being a downright turd and I’m not a perfect parent. I may have mentioned that quite a few times before. 

I try not to think too much about what they’ll have in store for me next but I’m not a big fan of surprises, which can be interesting when there’s kids involved. I’m likely looking at more counts of “I hate you”, “you’re the worst mum ever” and my all-time favourite “you never let me have/do anything”. That’s right kid, you living, breathing and enjoying life has nothing to do with me letting you have or do anything at all! On that note, cherish your darling cherubs because we know life wouldn’t be half as exciting without them (haha!). Check out my other blog at www.shereekim.com and I’ll catch you next time….