The Domestic Anti-Diva

I totally and completely lost it with my kids a while ago. My throat still hurts from screaming.

Babyface and Melancholy share a room. They, the oldest & youngest, have been together for several years. WildChild has always been very… well, wild at night. She lays in her bed and talks, sings and plays until she passes out.

We’ve been having problems with Melancholy waking up Babyface early in the morning. Like, before 6 a.m. early. Babyface can barely function on a good, full night’s sleep. She really still needs to nap every day, but preschool makes that impossible. To make things worse, Melancholy has also been keeping Babyface up at night for the past several nights. Sometimes Babyface keeps herself up, but the last few nights especially it’s been Melancholy’s doing. She’s in the top bunk, so if she decides she needs or wants something she makes Babyface do the dirty work for her.

It all came to a head today. Babyface is so tired she can barely function. So I decided it was time to try switching things up–Melancholy and WildChild would trade beds. No big deal, or so I thought. But Babyface fell apart because she didn’t want to sleep in her old bed when her sisters were in a new bed.

Hubby then had to leave. I’m on my own now.

Okay… Babyface and WildChild can take turns sleeping in Melancholy’s top bunk. No go. They both started screaming that they didn’t want to take turns. I tried everything I could think of. Nothing would console them.

Finally, I lost it. I screamed at one and all. No one will switch beds–everyone back to your old bed. NOW. I don’t care that it’s only 6:40. You’re all going to bed. NOW.

And they did.

But now I’m left feeling like a total heel. Why do I scream at them like that? I just couldn’t take the whining anymore. But still, I’m supposed to be the mom. I’m a grown-up. I should be able to control myself.

Maybe we’ll try again tomorrow night.