“MANAGING” TWO BOYS UNDER 3 MOM MUST BE CRAZY!
Written By: Beth Giusti
www.partys2playdates.com
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First let me start off be saying this is not an advice blog! I’m sure if you have been trying to research ways to “control”, “tame”, “manage”, “discipline”, “teach”, or even “love” your toddler, a million different website will explain how to do this. This blog is to share my stories of raising two boys under 3 and how we are surviving! By the end of this blog my hope is that you will feel like everything you are doing is actually working and you are doing better than you think!
Just to give you a little background (not too much to bore you). At age 36 I decided I wanted to try to have a baby with my husband. Until the age of 35, I was NEVER having kids! I guess as that clock starting ticking, I was really beginning to think to myself, who would take care of me when I’m old and grey (My exact thoughts were, who will wipe my @ss when I no longer can). So with that tick tock, tick tock, getting louder and louder in my head, we decided to go for it. It took 8+ months or so to get pregnant, but it happened. So I’m going to skip the pregnancy issues and delivery and get right to the parenting.
I had severe postpartum depression. I reached out for help many times before I was finally taken seriously. During this time, my newborn was very colicky and so difficult to “manage”. Every day my husband came from work, there we were, both crying. I couldn’t wait for the second he walked in. I needed out, before I would lose my mind. So I felt very defeated and like a horrible mother.
However, while caring for him, I did feed him, bathe him, hold him, love him, change him, kiss and hug him. According to everyone I spoke to, that was all an infant needed so I guess I was doing better than I thought, better than I gave myself credit for. So moving on to baby number two…
So fast forward to my first baby being 15 months old, and now baby #2 is here! I was only just getting the hang of this mother thing. What were we thinking? Two boys!
So with two boys and only 15 months apart, no sleep since I was 35 years old, there were plenty of mistakes made. I will disclose some of the many mistakes I made but only if I’m granted immunity! You the reader can NOT report me to child protective services!
Here is a short list of the many things I have done while “managing” two boys under 3:
Locked myself and the boys out of the car. Locked myself and the boys out of the house. Drove my first little guy out of the mall parking lot to the store down the street while forgetting to buckle him in his car seat. I have forgotten, diapers, wipes, bottles, snacks, sippy cups, birthday presents for other children while at their party, I have forgotten birthday parties all together. I have given my child corn dogs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all in one day. They have eaten chocolate as their first meal of the day. Oh I should probably mention they were formula fed too. I have gone more than 1 day without giving them a bath. They have slept in my bed (not as infants, I was too scared). They have screamed themselves to sleep in their own beds. I have sworn in front of them, gotten mad and frustrated with them. I have given in to some tantrums, I have also left them on the floor where they were having their tantrum. I have forgotten their lunchboxes in my car, so daycare had to provide it. I have sent them to daycare without a sheet and blanket for their naptime. There are too many to count, but I think you get the point.
See…Doesn’t that make you feel better? You are not alone! Some days go much smoother than others. We all get frustrated, angry, feelings of guilt and it all can be very overwhelming. We are moms and dads who love their children. We want the best for them. We try to do our best for them. Trying our best is all we can do. I feel we never give ourselves enough credit for all the good we do. Just you reading this until the very ends proves you love them and you are doing a great job!
We show them love, give hugs and kisses, play with them, sit beside them and read books or watch a favorite show. They hear “I love you”, well they feel it too.
As I state on the first page of my blog; if everyone makes it to bed time, that is success, and we all deserve a huge pat on the back! Remember all of these times, good, bad, trying, and precious, are all only a phase. Each will come and go so quickly.
So try to enjoy each moment with your children, even if they are being little *$$H@1S.
