If one more article, book, blogger, or webinar tells me that my children misbehave because they need MORE of my attention or because they are not feeling emotionally connected to me or because they need more sense of power/control, I may go completely postal.
I spend from 6am to sometimes as late as 9pm with my children, plus the occasional middle of the night visit! Sure I get 90 minutes at the gym and if I cross my fingers and pray to the nap gods, a thirty minute overlap at nap time. But other than that, it's me and my little people. Quality time. Quantity time. We read, we build, we craft, we cook, practice sharing, we talk about being good friends, we are connected,they have my attention and 80% of the day they have complete control over what we do.
STOP TELLING ME THEY NEED MORE OF THOSE THINGS.
My children misbehave because they are the five and two. They fight because they are brothers. I sometimes don't redirect properly. I sometimes want to sit and eat a full meal without getting up 10 times. I sometimes want them to put their shoes on the first time I ask and walk out the door without being yelled at. I sometimes stop and think, holy crap, is this unreasonable? Do I have to give a choice for every. damn. thing. I. do?!?!??! NO. (Would you like to put you shoes on now or in the car? Would you like to take your bath in 4 minutes or 6 minutes?) NO. Sometimes you can just put the freakin' shoes on your feet and walk out the door!
Do I think my kids need more responsibility? Yes. I'll work on that. But seriously I can't spend much more time with them, give them more control over my life or more mushy, life changing conversations. I can't. I won't.
