Mum guilt is the worst. Getting up yesterday, I felt guilty that E had spent the previous day at daycare and had only 1 day with me before going back for 2 more daycare days… I was so determined to be a fun mum and have a fun day with my little nugget.
Unfortunately the little nugget had other plans. We started by going outside and playing with bubbles - which she then wanted to hold, saying “turn! Turn! Turn!” Trying to convince her that I would hold the base while she held the wand were unsuccessful, after which she dumped the bubble solution out everywhere, and completely melted down about “BUBBLES!” I suggested that we do some painting, and she very enthusiastically cried “Pent! Pent! Pent-ing “ while I got it all set up. A few brush strokes on the paper and a few on her belly and she lost interest, so I got the hose. She enjoyed pouring the water on the paint for a little bit and then started crying for bubbles again.
Sorry love, the bubbles are all gone. Cue extreme meltdown and it was only about 8am. We tried a bath… she cried for bubbles the entire time, and then announced “poo poo” so we very quickly got out and got a nappy on before she followed through! (Success!)
At this point, it was really getting hot outside and no shade on the patio so I suggested we play inside. Nope, she wanted bubbles. And chips (“dippies”) so I got her chips, which she screamed at and flung on the floor, so I got her water bottle, which she flung angrily out of my hands. She didn’t want to play with her play couch, or read a book, or play with anything except for bubbles and a) too hot outside b) there were no bubbles left!!!
By 9:45 I took her to a quiet room to try to calm her hysterical screaming, and she fell asleep… waking by 1015 which was terrible as it meant no later nap at all. She immediately started screaming for bubbles again, and to go “ousside”. I tried all sorts of distractions, shall we go in the car? Finally at 12 we did go in the car and I drove around aimlessly for an entire hour trying to get her to sleep again. She screamed for “tinkle” (twinkle twinkle little star) and screamed louder and more angrily if I put it on, and all in general made me want to either run away forever, or hide in a dark corner and never come back out.
When we got home, I gathered up all of our swimming stuff, while she watched Cocomelon, fed it lunch (it screamed) and we headed out to Redcliffe to the lagoon (tinkle tinkle bubbles BUBBLES!!!) but although it was 30 degrees it was also windy so she only lasted about 20 mins in the pool - but at least that was 20 mins during which she wasn’t screaming at me.
After that, it was after 3, so I figured we may as well stay in Redcliffe for the afternoon, get fish and chips and come back for an early bedtime. E decided she wanted to push the wagon and then started screaming and melting down because I videoed her pushing the wagon.
She then melted down because she didn’t want to ride in the wagon any more and wanted a cuddle (“duddle”) to which I obliged… and then David who had joined us took her to give my back a break… and she screamed and screamed hysterically for Mummy. So I took her back so he could go and get takeaway fish and chips because we couldn’t dine in with THAT noise, and she screamed DADDY DADDY DADDDYYYYYYY because he walked away.
It was that kind of day.
Yet here I am with real live pictures of her seemingly having fun, which make a mockery of how the day actually went…
Honestly by the time she was in bed asleep (half an hour early thankfully) I just flopped on the couch and lay there unmoving for 30 mins, without even the energy to scroll on my phone.
So here I am, it’s Wednesday, I am on call and my brat is at daycare and I am SO VERY THANKFUL for daycare and again tomorrow! It’s so quiet and no one is screaming at me. HURRAH!!!!!!!!
