It Ain’t All Rainbows and Butterflies, Folks

Several posts on Facebook lately, are dispelling the myth of Supermom. I think the reason we all think there is a real Supermom (aka perfect mom) out there is because we only talk about the positive on social media sites. Let’s face it, no one wants to hear people complain constantly. While it might make you feel better momentarily or the person who is reading it glad for their own problems, the truth is there’s enough “bad news” out there in the media. My point is, I’m fine with only seeing the positive 99% of the time, but I think we all need to know that others are human, too. I had a friend who didn’t want to put on Facebook that her baby was fussy because people would think she was complaining. However, when we make ourselves vulnerable and post things that aren’t all rainbows and butterflies, we seem the most “real” and others jump to comfort and console us. I think if this friend would’ve posted on Facebook that her child was simply driving her nuts, many others would’ve chimed in, agreed that theirs was too, and offered words of encouragement that would’ve made her feel “normal” instead of guilty. All that to say, it’s high time I talk about how life in the Lindquist household is far from perfect. Sorry if I just shattered the image you had of our family 😉

#1) We fight. Ohhh yeah. Raising a kid is not easy. Doing it with someone who had a different upbringing, has their own opinions and is of the opposite gender is a recipe for disagreement at times. You might remember this from my Daddies Do It Different Post. Throw in a lack of sleep, no time to work out, and hunger and you have a bitchy Nicole on your hands. Gabs wakes up a few times a night needing her binks (lack of sleep). Since I’m breastfeeding, I can’t exactly break away to the gym in the morning and there isn’t always time over my lunch hour (no time to workout). I want to be one of those people that meal plan, but I just cannot get ahead of the game, which means “peanut butter jelly time” is a song we sing way too often and thus, (hunger). End result: I tend to take it out on my husband. The other day he was taking a break after working on the basement and mowing the lawn in 100 degree heat. I was doing laundry when the baby started crying. He didn’t get up. Let’s just say there was a heated exchange and next thing you know a piece of the washer door broke off after I shut it very forcefully, OK. I slammed it. I slammed it, damnit. Five minutes later we both apologized and all was forgiven and forgotten. But an occasional raising of voices in not uncommon at our house. Just ask Rob about the time he tried to make me a grilled cheese, which was so weak it should’ve been called a grilled ch. Moving on…

#2) Our house is a mess. You laugh and say, “oh, my house is messy, too.” No, our house is messier, so take that. Proof: I almost lost my life recently after tripping on a Hello Kitty purse hidden beneath some random dirty clothes behind a music stand. Yes, a music stand. In my living room. Better than last week when I thought I might need a tetanus shot after my foot came in contact with a princess crown. There are currently 2.5 billion sprinkles on the floor after I made some cupcakes and last night Rob asked me if I wanted to eat off one of Faith’s snowman plates or a plate with a bee on it. All our dinner plates were dirty. How sad is that? Two grown adults eating off plates with characters on them.  I’m so perpetually behind on laundry that the laundry basket has become another dresser drawer for us. I don’t even know what dusting means anymore, just that I should probably do it to our vaccuum, which is now being considered a decoration it’s been sitting in our bedroom so long. We’re going to get to it once our clothes are picked up and put away, right around never. The one benefit of all this is that when we think we’ve lost something, there’s always a chance we’ll find it when we clean.

 #3) While they’re cute as can be, our kids can definitely do wrong. Faith has been known to shut her bedroom door, sometimes very forcefully (it’s genetic, OK) and tell us she wants new parents. So not cute. The other day I brought her a snack for the ride home from daycare and when she ran out, she whined for more. When I said no, she tantrummed the whole way home. Yes, my daughter managed to turn tantrum into a verb. If we say there are hamburgers for dinner, she’ll thrown herself on the ground, sobbing, “But. I. Wanted. Chicken. Nuggets.” Too bad sista. Gabby isn’t all innocent either, though she mostly is. That girl wants someone in her face constantly. “Yeah, do that thing with your lips again. Oh, you bugged your eyes out. That was good. Wait? Why are you walking away? I’m not finished smiling yet! Wahhh! Wahhhhhhh! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! How dare you try to eat your dinner while it’s still warm? Don’t you know I’m adorable? Oh, you’re back. Hi! WAAAHHHH! This diaper is wet again! Who keeps doing that? Ugh, I wish I could talk.”

I think that’s enough for today. Don’t want you to think our lives are the opposite of butterflies and rainbows. I was even a little hesitant to post this because it shows that yes, I get frustrated with both my husband and my kids and sometimes we do fight in front of Faith. I’m not proud of that, but I don’t want her to grown up and think life is hunky-freaking-dory all the time. If we fight in front of her, we try to make it a point to make up in front of her. We are far from perfect at this parenting stuff, and no, it’s most certainly not all butterflies and rainbows all the time, but sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s a double rainbow. All the way across the sky. 🙂