it was a birthday party sort of weekend…friday, saturday, and sunday saw my kids trying to sing happy birthday through saliva filled mouths. its getting to the point where if they see a smoker bringing out a lighter, they congregate around that person eagerly and begin singing hopefully, craning their necks trying to view the cake.
if i haven’t mentioned before that magnificent charles is a better, more patient parent than i, then i either assumed you could figure that out, or was ashamed of the fact. i forget. regardless, he is. so imagine my surprise/shock/horror yesterday when he, traded in his mr cleaver/pa ingalls/mike brady self for a tess reaction.
the kids were no better/worse/different than they usually are/were/can be. no louder, no whingier, etc. we had been to a birthday party and actually had been complimented several times on how good they were. (this is because we gathered party food that is taboo at home, like doritos and juice boxes, and stuffed it into their mouths). then when we finally got home, we went down to the playground, they raced around. i was doing the typical tess thing with a couple of other mums, easing myself from the kids and having them racing up to me every once and a while for cuddles or to show off their latest accomplishment.
and then we went upstairs, mc bathed the kids and i heated up some risotto and set the table for dinner.
and then it.. happened. the kids weren’t being truly appalling, a couple of medium whingy bits, not listening and interrupting, i really can’t tell you what pushed mc over the edge, i know what does it for me, but suddently boom he was SO THERE.
it was very odd to see him so angry. he didn’t yell, and i think only i knew how upset he was, but he was. so we quickly fired off the kids into bed, all at once, and to no one’s surprise, none of them got out of bed, the first time since sebastian was put in his new bunkbed and the triplets were introduced to their big boy/big girl beds.
why wasn’t i the one getting angry? why did magchar? he has seen them be so much worse and has held it together so admirably while i am off reading vanity fair and cooling down. it was a different sitatuion, all right. we went to bed quickly ourselves, watched our arrested development replacement, my name is earl, and by 9.30pm were asleep.
what got him so angry? why hasn’t he gotten angry before? they’ve been worse, BELIEVE ME.
Reader interactions
5 Replies to “disconcHERting when it’s HIM”
I deny everything emphatically!
Oh Charles, deny as you might, anyone can see that not only one parent is patience unsurpassed, but both. We all have our moments, thank you for sharing yours. You at least maintain some dignity. When I lose my patience, I stick my fingers in my ears and start singing “You are my Sunshine” until hubby hears me and steps in.
so very HUMAN. Even so you STILL have four times the patience I do.
He does sound like a pretty good father. I always am amazed, the neighbor across from us with the trips plus one, that dad is always ‘puttering’ around in the garage and yard, we assume to get out of the house and away from the crowd. Charles always seems so in for the group.
We all get frustrated. And I only have one!!