Well! Clearly my introspection navel-gazing is unappealing. So I will quit that right now.
Unfortunately, I am low on inspiration, since my part-time job(s) seem to be taking over my life, a little bit, which is actually good because children cost a lot of money to house/feed/clothe/educate/send to pricey day camps for ONLY ONE-THIRD OF THE SUMMER HOLY CRAP.
Today was Miss M’s 8th birthday. Though, as I admitted to Taxman this morning, after he ferried two pans worth of chocolate mini-cupcakes to her class, once AM turns age x, I automatically think of her as x+2. In some ways she’s growing up, but in others…let’s just say that the leopard doesn’t change its spots. I am going to turn that to my advantage, because I’ve been parenting this leopard for eight years now.
For your amusement, I give you Deep Thoughts Theater:
Reasons to Not Have More Than One Child:
Holy hell, the whining! The fighting about nothing! The last-second race to the bathroom to be first to brush teeth, even though they know they should do it right after breakfast! The crying because somebody won the race and the other somebody got knocked down in the process! TIMES EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Kill me right now!
Reasons to Have As Many Children As Your Sanity/Wallet Can Accomodate:
“AM, want to help me decorate my cupcakes? If Ema says it’s ok, you can have one.”
“Yes, Miss M. Thank you! You’re my best friend!”
“I’m your best sister! I’m going to be your sister forever!”
(Bury me. I died of melty adorableness.)
Awww! So basically, it kills you either way, but one is a MUCH nicer way to go.
Yes.
These days it runs about 25% bad, 15% good, and 60% neutral. Hoping that will change (for the better, obviously) when gan is over.
And more than 2 doesn’t seem to increase the overall whining/fighting, just the noise level – with more permutations of who doesn’t like whom today. My 3 are older than your 2, but not by so much, and I’d say there’s 10% BAD, 10% GOOD, and lots more mildly good than true neutral. More fighting from the boys, although 10 and 14 is much better than 8 and 12, more whining from the girl with either brother. And they amuse themselves in the car much better than they used to.
I feel your pain on the twice daily bathroom races. I went so far as to making one of them use our master bathroom, but then I had to deal with lotion on the floor and expensive face cleanser wasted. And then there was the “Mom, when can I try that blade in your shower?” After lots of warning about waiting a few more years, she called me in one evening to what looked like a murder scene, and a chunk out of her shin. Ai yi yi!