To think sometimes parenting is a joke?

[Keeva2017]

Just having myself a little pity party but then started to think, no, this shit is ridiculous sometimes.

After a 4.30am wake up call from my Baby who was a good sleeper, but has now sacked it off completely, Iv now been awake 22 hours.

My poor 3 year old is also victim to her sisters knobbish behaviour this morning and has therefore been a ratty little thing herself all day. Got a toy dyson in the face from that one albeit accidentally but tell that to my shiner. Also led to me having to abandon plans to get out and about and come home because she was playing up and some people’s eyes were rolling so hard I thought they would fall out.

Tried to do the Aldi big shop the other day but some fucker had put normal trolleys in front of the baby ones and after trying to get help/sort it out I had to abandon it and head to Lidl. Where I had to queue with baby outside followed by a rain shower that was not fucking forecast, which I know because I checked and put my washing out before I left.

My baby is still kicking off despite all my usual moves so no doubt the neighbours will be less than cheery with me.

Getting lectures from the HV about my 3 year old being a fussy eater and needing a more varied diet.... no shit, why haven’t I been googling every trick in the book just to get one fucking pea down her neck. Oh wait, I have.

I know people have it worse. I know there is a global pandemic and I should be happy to be alive. I am. But Christ almighty these examples are just this week. Is this just me? Aibu to think most parents have to put up with this shit? Or am I just an incompetent tosser whose kids are going to need a lot of therapeutic intervention to recover from my shit parenting?

No word of a lie, my kids had an entire day of fighting/arguing/crying over a whisker that fell off the cat. God give me strength. The house resembles a ransacked isle of toys r us, but even the mere mention of decluttering and selling some toys to make room, makes them howl dramatically. But of course they don't want to play with any of it... Why would they when there's a cats whisker to fight over for hours on end? I love them to the ends of the Earth, they're usually such good kids, and definitely couldn't be without them, but I really struggle with understanding their rationale sometimes.

No word of a lie, my kids had an entire day of fighting/arguing/crying over a whisker that fell off the cat.

Two of my teens had an all out blazing row a few days ago because one of them knocked a tumbler over while the other was putting away the clean things from the dishwasher and the tumbler was taking up valuable cupboard space so I feel your pain, but this made me laugh a lot!

We sound like we would get on haha.half time no one in real life wants to be real about what parenting is really like and you need to just be forever grateful that you were lucky enough to have kids.
I've got a 2 year old and 6 month old. Hoping it gets easier hahaha!

You have to remember that everything is a phase.
I remember my first getting up at 5am ready to play. Luckily it only lasted a couple of weeks or I’d have been re-homing him !

It’s utterly shit at that age but I promise you it gets better. They get more independent and more fun and you will look back at these days and see the funny side even though it feels so far out of reach now. Head down, keep going, you’ll come out the other side a more patient, resilient and all round better person.

We're all winging it. Even those 'my perfect day out with darling child, making memories is what life's about' brigage.. I know one of those who posts perfection on fbk.. Real life kid is the devil in disguise. Bollocks to it all is what I say. Kids are funny, annoying, drive you mad by we keep going because we live them.

You are my people. 22 month old DD who is gorgeous but I swear an energy vampire. She just sucks my life force from me. Currently teething and demanding to be picked up constantly. If I refuse there are major strops. I haven't had a moment off since forever, can't find a job that I can do and manage her needs (used to have a pretty good one!) and mostly regret ever having become a parent. I do love her to bits, but I'm not sure I'd make the same choices again!

As I say "The back hands not working today!" They are older now ,but I think the first few years are hard TBH. Society makes women feel incomplete or odd if they dont have children ,but makes it hard for those who do as well.We are expected to work /"do something outside the home"(Other than fall asleep!)or are accused of being "lazy" , as a poor lady said on here yesterday ,despite having 6 children of different ages and an elderly DM too!

Parenting can be shit. We probably spend about 75% of our lives doing stuff we'd frankly rather not be doing.
I love mine to death, but wouldn't do it in another life.

I notice most of you posting have babies and/or toddlers. That stage is just really hard. You're in the trenches right now.

It's shit and it gets worse

Wish me luck for today. Mine are having a phone free day, imposed by yours truly. They are rubbish at self-regulating, and it's leading to squabbles and bad moods.
Fuck. Bang go my digital babysitters!

A lot of the issues (here and in RL) are about sleep deprivation. That does get a lot better, I promise.

I have a 9, 13 and 17 year old now and I am no longer as bone tired as I was so I feel like I can face parenting better because of that. BUT what people also forget to mention is that often (not always I know) when you are entering peri-menopause you are also parenting teenagers so now I am no longer crying from tiredness but feel exceptionally guilty all the time as I am moody as fuck and crying due to hormones. And so are they.

The only real 'help' I have found for parenting in the nearly 18 years I have been doing it is wine, Real Housewives and serious books. That's it. Nothing else really gives relief and I have given stuff a good go! Solidaire and hang in there until we are all devastated by the empty nest.

Thank you for this thread. I'm really struggling with my 2 at the he moment.I'm so tired all the time. I wouldn't change them for the world, but would just love a pause button that could put everything on hold so I could have a day or even just an hour to try to catch up with myself.

Now this is my kind of thread

I read these threads just to solidify my decision not to have children when I feel the societal pressures or when a friend or family member says "when are you having one then?!"

I am a Nanny to 6 six children full time. I have nannied 3 of them for 13 years.... I get paid to do this job but I am utterly exhausted all the time and I live for my weekends and quiet evenings! I know I won't experience that all consuming love but I'm okay with that... I love these kids SO much I know it's not the same but I can understand the exhausted parents that also would die for their children!... but no I enjoy my weekends for me!

I'm struggling with the 24/7 aspect of it at the moment. Mine are 6 and 8, so I had thought that was behind me! I am working from home, and so am with them alllll the time. Add to that the fact that my 6 year old hasn't been able to fall asleep on his own since lockdown started - and who will crawl into bed next to me, when he wakes in the middle of the night. This is really not ideal for the hot weather! I've really enjoyed having the extra time with them, to be honest, but I do need a break now!

Thank god I found you lot!

I love my boys, honestly I do but after nearly 6 months of lockdown, I am about to lose my ever loving mind.

If I hear Mummy one more time, have to stop them from fighting each other, putting up with the littlest's toddler tantrums, waking up at the arse crack of dawn because they're awake, cooking meals they don't eat, trying to clean and praying that I don't get sick because I have nobody to look after the kids, I'm going to scream.

I just want normality, a hot bath, the joy of peeing in peace and maybe a lie in.

Oh and gin, don't forget the bloody gin.

Oh and unbelieveably (the human brain is an idiot tbh) you will look back on the days when they were small and miss them. I clearly remember thinking 'I can't wait for this bit to be over' but you miss the physicalness of it. The carrying, the kissing, the bathing, the hugging. That goes and you miss amazing little hands asking for an 'Up'. Wonder if that's why so many GP love it?

Amen to all the above! I thought it would be better as they get just a little older, and it just gets... different instead. I now have a back chatting, nosy 7 year old who comments on every conversation DH and I have, and a 4 year old who has turned into a stroppy, crying mess at the drop of a hat whilst he used to be so laid back and cheerful. I'm ready to throw in the towel most days tbh!

Oh god this takes me back! Yes it's shit but it will get better, maybe not for a while though. Hang in there!

DS (9) was complaining about a screaming toddler the other day, he is quite a judgmental little old man somehow. I had to point out that at that age he would sometimes scream through the whole school run for his sister, 30 minutes of screaming in a pushchair for absolutely no reason other than he didn't want to be in the pushchair but couldn't actually walk all the way to school!

I have two 'fun' experiences to share.

We're out with DS, around 5ish iirc at the time. We're just about to drive (20 mins) home so take him to the loo. He refuses to go. Okay, fair enough. He doesn't need to go, we assume. On the drive home we give him the Nintendo DS to play with. We get home to find that DS has peed big time all over the booster seat, himself, and (of course) the back seats. When challenged, DS said (angrily), "But I told you I needed the loo!" Ladies and gentlefolk, I can assure you he did NOT. (Let's face it, as a parent you'd hear that phrase if they whispered it from their bedroom whilst you were in a coma in a different room). I needed a time out because frankly I was just so fecking angry at the piss-fest and the lying.

Another example. DS (teenager now), decides to have a shower. With the shower cabin door wide open. Completely floods the bathroom. It's late, I'm extremely tired. I find out what he's done. I'm afraid I didn't handle it in the most calm manner (I may have uttered, "FFS!"). Not going to win any parenting awards, I know.

I'm struggling with the 24/7 aspect of it at the moment. Mine are 6 and 8, so I had thought that was behind me

Same...mine are 9 and 12... I'm a sahm and so longest without a break from them was the six weeks summer holidays. I thought that was gruelling. I'll never moan again. Will be nearly six months by the time they get back to school, that's if they do go back. God help me.

@froginahat23

Oh gosh, my ds does the same thing. Every shower results in a flooded bathroom. I honestly don't know why it's so hard to turn off the shower before you open the door.

I’ve got a three year old with the attention span of a gnat, a husband with a “very important job” while my own career has suffered the multiple fanny kicks of motherhood. I’m pregnant again and wondering what the hell made me sign up for round two.