To shut myself in my room away from teens?

[lurchersforlife]

I can't take them anymore right now.

I've had this awful virus that is going around that lost me half of the half-term holiday meaning I didn't catch up on the housework/school work that I was planning to (teacher). This means I have been behind all week and though I do feel better, I'm knackered and still have to stop what I'm doing every few minutes to cough or blow my nose.

Today I wanted to mark a set of books but felt too washed out in the morning. Then I went shopping, which is nowadays a stressful experience as you're faced with escalating costs and I had to go to 2 shops just to get what I wanted.

I got back and ds1 is ready to put the shopping away as usual - great. But he's also in full rant mode (and he can rant like no other) about his history revision. He's Y11. He's come across a question that he feels he hasn't been taught the structure for. This would be understandable, but he excels at school. I'm not trying to boast but it's relevant. He got all 9s in his mocks and history is his best subject - he dropped just a couple of marks. He's like a historian in a child's body and has been since the age of 3. So having to listen to him shouting/swearing/raving about this question is a bit much. He does it with everything and it's just exhausting. I'm a single parent and they do see their dad weekly but ds only rants at me because 'dad's useless and he doesn't understand anything.' I get that I'm fulfilling a need but I just can't do it all the time.

Then I go upstairs and see that ds2 has started tidying his bedroom - also great. But then I see that this has mainly involved filling the laundry basket I had more or less emptied yesterday/this morning by moving loads of clothes he has worn for a few hours there from his floor. When pulled up on this he started arguing - no he hadn't and it didn't matter anyway, or some such shit, so I lost it with him. Yes, I can get him to bring it to the machine and put it on himself etc, but it's still the nagging and the remembering and it's just too much.

I've got too much to do and tomorrow will be work most of the day, probably with breaks to listen to ds1 ranting.

WIBU to shut myself away for a bit/rest of the day?

Do it! 👍🏻

Do it x

You go girl, cuppa or a glass of vino. Get the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door!!

Do it.

Tell them to go out with their mates

Do it! Typing this on my laptop from my bed. DS17 watching rugby, DS 14 gaming.

you don't mention the age of the younger one, but surely the eldest is old enough to understand "I'm not well, I need some peace and quiet, and I'm staying in my room to avoid giving you the lurgy" - at 15ish, should be able to bring you cups of tea as well?

Ha ha my Year 11 DD does all the things your DC does too - it's exhausting and infuriating! Wine helps also... 🍷🍷

SO much empathy, OP! My Yr 11 DD seems to be in the middle of an existential crisis, which has been going on for several weeks now, and often needs me (and it has to be me, cos "Dad just doesn't GET it...") to sit and listen for several hours at a time as she questions her life choices and the world we live in. Don't get me wrong, I love that she still wants to come to me for help and advice, but there are only so many times that I can go in to say goodnight to her, and only leave 3 hours later, after she's talked through all the possible choices for her A Levels, which part she should audition for in her theatre group and what she should do about the homophobia and misogyny at school!

I also have a Yr 9 DD, who still likes to tell me about her day at school, which sounds delightful. However, she likes to tell me, lesson by lesson, in excruciating detail, what they learned, who was sitting where today, who got in trouble, if she got asked to answer any questions in front of the class etc.. Honestly, it's like an hour, every evening!

My answer is to run a lovely deep, hot bubble bath, pull the shower curtain across (we only have one bathroom, so I'd feel bad stopping everyone else from using the loo for ages!) and either listen to some music or read a book for an hour. Everyone knows that Mum is only to be disturbed if the house is burning down, on pain of death! It certainly seems to recharge me, and I do find my mind wandering and looking forward to it sometimes when I'm hearing "And then Jack called me a lesbo and Mrs Jameson sent him to see the Head!"...😱

Look you’ve got one teen revising and another tidying their room.
you are winning at life. Stop moaning 🤷‍♀️🤣

That was my thought too!

I'm surprised you need to ask...