first day of summer vacation

why is that children, or at least my children, have to be worst behaved while my parents are visiting?  i mean, it's as if they know that the only two people in the world besides mike and me, who probably pay attention to how long it takes them to respond to my requests, and then do what they're asked, are watching and shaking their heads.

today, it was as if they knew that the time when i most wanted their obedience, most wanted their best behavior, when my mentors were watching, would be the perfect opportunity to disregard my requests, to continue coloring, or smacking each other, or drawing stick figures with giant private parts urinating. (what?? today?? come on!! can't you people make me look good?)


either that, or they all need their hearing checked- because i had to ask them not twice but about 30 times to do anything- while nearby grandparents feigned reading their books, but awaited my response.  and what was my response?  at first i didn't know because usually i don't have to ask 30 times- maybe 3 but not 30.  but i think my pause empowered their stance.  they knew i was caught off guard- they also knew i was way out numbered as mike was at the office and there are 4 of them, and it was the first day of summer vacation.  oh.  right.  that.

it comes with the territory- that funky transition time of 'lets test the rules and boundaries and see what's changed since the last break from school'.  good times. but not really. 


i have to say the girls, who have not been in school, were fine- even better than fine.  but the boys? they weren't doing horrible things, but it was their slow disregard, it was their disrespect for my authority, as if i were the parents in the charlie brown cartoons- "mhwa mhwa mhwa wahmah" that made me want to smack them.

 i vacillated between thinking they needed punishment, or activity;  chores, running laps, or time outs, or more structure provided by me.  truth be told, i tried.  they did chores, which led to time outs, but eventually, i ended up taking them to the pool. yup. i did.

why? well,  not because i had promised it, although i had.
because i wanted to go. 

see this falls into the catagory of not taking something obvious away, something that screams 'duh! perfect treat to be revoked', because you as parent, want to enjoy it too, or you want to enjoy the fall out of the activity- ie: peace and quiet.

believe me, i've done it before and regretted it.  i mean it can go massively awry.

"if you two don't stop arguing, than no TV for the rest of the day!" meanwhile it's pouring rain outside and their goes my afternoon.  i'm actually being punished more then they are!  now i've bought myself two hours at least of more fighting- requiring more punishments.  and you can't undo it.  then you really lose the upper hand.  once you give in and let them have TV back, because you're fully losing your mind and think your temporary sanity might be more important then consistency, and besides you can hope that they might forget you took it away? you've lost it. and don't be fooled.  they never forget.  you will have bought yourself a tomorrow afternoon full of,
"why can't we have TV back? yesterday you let us.  pllleeeaaaasssseee?"
yes- now you have to go back and regain the ground you lost.  and this will go on all week.


today i justified the trip to the pool as 'needed structure', as a break for the grandparents from the whining and the absurd drawings (which had become a contest of who could draw the figure with the largest part and the longest and most fluorescent stream). and i justified it because water is good for us, and so is late afternoon sun, and getting out of the house, and a change of scenery.


here is where it went.

smiles, release of energy, but not much peace or quiet.
was it the right move?
who knows.
was their behavior markedly better when we returned home?
not so much.
but it's the first day of summer vacation- so i can try again tomorrow.

good night.