I Will Always Come and Get You (Crazy Week pt 2)

CRAZY WEEK, part two

Tuesday: I had nightmares really bad Monday night. I'm getting sick of nightmares. Anyways, I was up at 6 to get the day going, after not getting home until 2 and taking care of a few things until nearly 3am. I wasn't in the best of moods. But we got things around. I tried to nap while the baby napped but her naps are so irregular and punctuated by her rolling over and making fussing sounds frequently. I was also trying frantically to make plans to get to my grandmother on Wednesday. (She lives about 3 and half hours away in a slightly different direction from my aunt.) Due to my mom's car being trashed and my aunt's breakdown, they weren't going to make it up to see her. On Mother's Day, despite FIVE of her six children being within 20 minutes of her nursing home, NOT ONE OF THEM went over to see her. My mom and my aunt were "too sick" and stayed in the hotel room the whole day. And the other three "just didn't make it over". My grandmother was devastated. When my mom got there the next day, she was sitting by the doors in her wheelchair, crying. She told my mom, "What kind of mother am I that not ONE of children came to see me on Mother's Day?"

Well with my mom and aunt "out of commission", I totally don't trust my other aunts to go over there so I made frantic arrangements for the kids, including putting Baby in a drop-in day care for Wednesday for a few hours. (!!!!)

In addition, I took Baby to meet Baby-Mommy and Baby-Daddy at the child support hearing at the courthouse. For no apparent reason whatsoever, I was scared to death. That took FOREVER. And Baby was okay, but not overly amused.

Kids 2-4 were walking home from school. They normally get home about 4 when this happens. Come about 4:15, Kid-4 comes in, wearing his backpack and Kid-2 and Kid-3's backpacks... ALONE. He said something about Kid-3 needing to take some girl's bike back to her and really had no information on the whereabouts of his siblings. Come 4:30 when they hadn't yet appeared, I got scared. Two of my kids hadn't come home from school and the one that did had no idea where they were but it involved people I don't know.

While waiting for his siblings to get home, Kid-3 starting throwing sticks and rocks at passing cars. One lady stopped, marched him home and told me what happened. I don't often yell-yell at the kids but I YELL-yelled at him, not out of rage but with the intention of "putting the fear of God in him". The hope is that by making sure he knows that type of thing is way beyond unacceptable in such a strong and memorable way NOW - it will never become an issue later...

Kid-2 and Kid-3 got home just before 5 as I was preparing to go search for them. I blew a gasket. I pulled them close and wouldn't let go. Then I screamed at them for scaring the hell out of me. (*insert Mommy-Guilt*) Then I asked what had happened. And then I gave them their first taste of THE ULTIMATE LECTURE. (no, not the sex talk, *rolls eyes*)

The basic principle of THE ULTIMATE LECTURE is that no matter where they are, no matter what kind of trouble they are in, no matter how many rules they broke getting into that trouble, or how few rules they broke... if they need help, I will always come and get them. I lectured them for 45 minutes (a bit excessive but I was terrified and angry *insert Mommy-Guilt here*). It ranged from I don't care if you just decide it's too hot to walk home from school, call me and I will come get you... to when you're in high school and your at a party you weren't supposed to go to with people you aren't supposed to be with and you are drinking or doing doing drugs, both of which are illegal, if you need help - like a sober ride home - call me and I will come and get you, no questions asked. (The next day you will be in more trouble that you can imagine, but you will be alive and safe.) I even threw in the if you're 35 years old and went out drinking with your buddies and no one is sober enough to drive home (NO rules broken there!) CALL ME and I will come and get you. It was a long lecture and their eyes had glazed over by the time I was done, but I think I got my point across. And if not, well, they will get THE ULTIMATE LECTURE many many times as they grow up, I promise.

Then Baby-Mommy had something going on that evening so Baby was here late and I was tired and Craig was late getting home, changed his clothes and left again to go do a favor for a friend of his mom's and didn't get back until after bed late. And all in all, it was a crummy day....

END OF CRAZY DAY, part two

"Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your kids..."