"Mommy, I am hungry again. Mommy I am hungry again. Mommy I am hungry again. Mommy I am hungry again." sang my pre-schooler in a sing song voice, in my ear. There is nothing like the ring of a whiny child to a cherry on a cake. My eldest child Seamus was hungry. I was frustrated at the repetition of his question. I thought to myself "I know you're hungry I can HEAR you!!". Still the song kept floating in my ear like a car hitting a telephone pole at 100 miles per hour. So I turned to my so ever handsome four year old, "Seamus, what do you want?""Mommy I am hungry again." "Seamus I am right here you don't have to say something 800 times. I can hear you!". He stuck out his bottom lip and instantly I felt absolutely horrible. I had just won the worst mother of the year award. So to quickly push the feeling aside I had him a little baggy of cookies I had been planning to eat. Seamus took the cookies with joy and scurried off upstairs to watch Phineas and Ferb.
After all of this took place I thought to myself, "Was it really that bad? Did I have to go and victimize him?". Of course not. No I didn't. Then I slowly started to think about how I act when I want something done. For instance, when I would like for Richard to help around the house. Do I ask once and let it rest? No I don't I nag and nag and nag. What's the response I get? I know it isn't what I hoped for. In return to my selfish nagging I get an annoyed and angry husband. Point in case my son and I have a lot in common about patience. It's funny how as adults we think it's warrrnted the behavior of a four year old. In other words we think it's ok to nag and to push to get what we want accomplished. But when a four year old acts the same way we rebuke and chastise them for acting in a way that shows us how we really are.
Wow that's something to think about :)
ReplyDelete