Unexplored Territory

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Seriously ... does she have children?

Watching a bit of Supernanny last night, the Door Man, Queen Bee, and I would occasionally tsk at the behavior of the participants. Not the kids. The parents. It seemed that last night's episode included two little girls and an autistic brother, but the parents weren't willing to get the help they and their son so desperately needed.

Then this little additional word of advice was offered by Miss Jo: if you get a phone call, tell that person you will call them back, and then give the kids something to do that will occupy them during your phone call. Then you can enjoy your call while the kids are doing something they want to do, and they won't be vying for your attention.

Seriously.

May I please see a show of hands where this would work in reality?

If you can't tell, my hand isn't raised. Not one fraction of a millimeter.

Here is what happens at my house.

If I know I have to get on a phone meeting for work, and those normally last anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour because, well, they just want to make sure there is a pulse on the other side of this computer screen as opposed to some Drinking Bird who taps away at my keyboard, writing my summaries for me, then I try to plan ahead. However, in all reality, I know what will happen.

My house will look like a tornado swept through it.

All the Playdoh will have been consumed by the Chandelier Monkey.

Every last pair of scissors will have been emptied on the kitchen floor, and someone will be facing a trip to the ER.

Every last Lego will have been dumped on my living room floor, and nobody will be playing with them.

There will be at LEAST three screamining episodes, and whichever child can cry the loudest is the one who will inevitably find me, cowered in the bathtub in my bedroom with three pillows covering my head.

And the people on the other end will say: boy, you sure have your hands full, don't you? Wow. How many kids DO you have? Wow... how do you get any work done?

So, while I appreciate the academic setting of which Jo speaks, it really is NOT a possibility to achieve that phone conversation utopia with these three children who live under my roof and eat the food that I buy.

And in answer to the question:

"I'm 36," she volunteers, proving Hollywood creature is another group to
which she does not belong. "I don't yet feel the broodiness of 'I must have
children.' When I meet somebody, and if we should have a family," she says, her
voice trailing off. "I just don't feel the pressure some women feel to have
babies."

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...: I think Supernanny is unrealistic at times. And I don't get the naughty corner/chair thing. Why do I want to look at the offending child. Go away, into your room (or the shower, where my mother used to put me. Dum de dum, sitting in an empty shower. Again. Sigh) and come out when your over your tanty. And I hate the way she dresses.; 8:53 PM

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I'm a mom of three peeps ... Queen Bee, The Door Man, and the Chandelier Monkey, and wife to Ace, the Helpful Hardware Man. I created this space to get away from the people known as my inlaws, and because life with three kids and a hubby is all Unexplored Territory.

The nine-year-old who seems to be growing older every minute, has an opinion and a comment for everything, and has a true servant's heart.

The seven-year-old who loves the organization of things, will someday be someone's therapist because of his kind soul, and will more than likely be living with us until he is 40 years old.

The five-year-old with the 13-year-old attitude, who has a dictator's personality, asks you to watch her all the time and say "hold on" to keep your attention, and will someday come home on the back of some dude's motorcycle with 10 tatts and a body piercing or two.

The man of the house, the fixer of things, the winner of prizes, and the only person in his family to escape the South.