So this morning was a bit rough for our family – started out pretty normal but somehow took a turn about mid-point.  There is always some chaos as we attempt to get ourselves plus 6 kids out the door to start their day.  Dee and I get the babies up and ready around 6:45 and she takes them to daycare, then I get the rest of the kids up at 7 so they can get ready by 8:05 when we have to leave.  To give you an idea of what it expected, each child needs to eat breakfast, make their lunch, take a shower and do one family chore.  That could easily be accomplished in about 20 minutes.
We have one who buckles down and gets it all done so he has time to watch a show before school, one who struggles with time management and needs constant reminders to move on from one task so the others can be completed before it’s time to leave, one who spends most of his time trying to derail anyone else’s progress and one who needs more done for them but basically gets things done by the time we have to leave.
This morning, we got the babies out the door and I got the rest of the kids up and went upstairs to get dressed.  I heard chaos erupting so I skipped the shower (eeew, I know) and went down because it was clear that this morning they couldn’t handle getting ready on their own.  I asked one “did you eat breakfast?” and his reply was “yes, I had a banana and 2 Eggos”   I felt the toaster, cold.  There was only one dirty plate (that of the one who was already done with everything and snuggled on the couch watching his show) and I knew I had been lied to.  I asked again, because our rule is that if you tell the truth there is no consequence, but still got “yes, I ate”   Now the frustration set in for me…why on Earth lie about something so trivial!?  I told him I knew he was lying, to bring me his iPod and that he had lost electronics for the day.  He did and got on with his stuff, grumbling a bit.
When I saw his iPod, I also realized that another’s Kindle wasn’t where it is supposed to be at night.  I asked him where it was and he very unconvincingly looked around for it claiming that someone must have moved it.  I went directly up into his room and found it plugged in next to his bed, lifted his pillow (because his iPod has been “missing” for a few days and found that he had taken his brother’s pack of gum and chewed the majority of it and left the wrappers under his pillow.  Seriously!?
Anyhow, I confronted him with my find of the Kindle and that since he had broken family rules and lied about it, he lost the privilege of having a playdate on Wednesday.  He immediately went off on me about how mean I am, yadda yadda yadda…then went on to say “Hey Erin, want to know something about Santa?”  This completely crossed the line for me.  He can be nasty and call me names and vent his anger but I draw the line at him ruining the magic of Christmas for his sister.  Super lame.  He was sent up to clean up his room and think about how it could have all gone differently.
So here I sit, knowing it was a bad parenting morning and wondering how it could have gone differently.  I try to be fair, always honest with my kids and expect the same in return.  It is clearly too much to ask of them.  I am happy to do what I do for my kids and I’m sure I baby them too much and do too much for them, but I enjoy it.  I don’t ask for thanks or praise for it, I truly am happy to do it, but find the hostility and ungratefulness a hard pill to swallow.
Anyone else in the same boat?