Summertime Blues

Do you know that song that goes "And There Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues."  Well I am in search for a cure for me as a mom.  It has been a difficult week for me as a parent of a soon to be (not soon enough after this week) first grader. Everyone tells me that this is the age where children test their limits. Well my child has passed that test with flying colors.  I will not list all of the limit testing they have chosen to do this week but I think that this week qualifies as an AP Test with honors for a first grader.  I have tried to find outlets for me this week so I do not go off of the deep end.  I think that my husband is ready to send me to mommy school or to a girls night out with lots of wine a.k.a mommy venting before I cause him to go off the deep end with my venting. Wine is not an option because I am on antibiotics for a cold I had earlier this week which as we all know life does not stop when mommy gets sick and either does the boundary testing. I have tried everything.  I do not know if I am alone as a mommy because I also find myself looking at the calendar and realizing that my little one will also be back in school soon and the time I will have with them will be limited. So although I complain at times about being their "Julie McCoy"-(see an earlier blog of mine)- I had a wonderful day today planned with them. Last night after a week of venting about my child's "boundary testing" i.e. driving mommy crazy with horrible decisions and behavior I asked my husband if he thought it was a good idea if I spent the day with them today taking them to "Build a Bear"-their favorite store so they could use the "fluffing machine" to fluff their bear-this is a tremendous deal to my child and then to lunch. My husband looked at me like I had just told him that I could not wait to spend my day dusting, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming and doing laundry today, that we had won the lottery, I had just seen Bigfoot and that the economy is great all in one look. He brought me back to earth with one look and one sentence which was "really do you think after the week of their actions you should reward them with a great day like that?" Yes I know he is right, but is it just me or do we as mommies of young children constantly watch the clock and calendar and know that time is going by and that someday soon our children would rather do anything than spend a day out at lunch with their mommy and we are trying desperately to beat that clock?  My husband understands that but he is right that our job as parents is to make our child understand consequences for their actions. So instead of a day at "Build a Bear" I am spending my day cleaning house and my child is keeping themselves entertained. I had to start my day today with my child coming downstairs all dressed up for a day at "Build a Bear" and lunch with mommy to tell them that because of their poor decisions this week that we were staying home today. It hurt my heart to tell them that and see their disappointment. I too was looking forward to it. I now have a case of the "Summertime Blues." I have a small window of time that was shut today because of the importance of teaching my child a life lesson. Hopefully the cure to my "Summertime Blues" is that my child will understand the lesson.  Wish me luck!