KIDS, STRESS AND WHY I LOVE THEM....

I hadn't even made it into the house from work yesterday and I heard it. The unmistakeable sounds of my 10 year old daughter yelling at someone. Being the "enforcer" I immediately took charge of the situation and lost control almost as fast! For the next three hours I was in a constant battle of wills with a 70 pound 10 year old girl that I would, without hesitation, lay my life down for. By the end I was so stressed I could feel my blood pressure rising to dangerous levels and I could have really used a quick 3 miler at that point!

There is this little voice inside my head that reminds me of my feelings toward my dad. I loved him more than anything, but at the same time I was scared to death of him. That fear kept me on the straight and narrow. I don't think kids today feel that way. You should see their face when I tell them that teachers used to spank me!! "Did you tell grandma", they would ask. Yep, sure did and she was ok with it?? HAHAHA!! Not only was she ok with it, she usually was happy they did it.

Simple things like cleaning of the bedrooms, a universal problem between parents and children I am sure, takes on a life of it own where Beccah is concerned. This little 10 x 13 foot section of earth causes more tension in my house than the middle east! My request is usually a simple one, please clean your room and don't come out until it is done. Of course instead of that happening, I need to go to the bathroom, I need to talk to mom, I have to put this away, I need to...yada yada yada!!!!! Every 5 minutes and before you know it 2 hours has pasted and the room is still a fiasco. Now those of you with kids are probably nodding your head feeling my pain. Those without are wondering what planet I am from and that is ok. If you ever have kids you will understand.

In the middle of this war of wills are my other 3 kids, the oldest is the listener, does what he is told and quietly goes about his business. the little ones, 4 and 3..lets leave them for another post!!! I turn my back for a minute and my daughter is in the family room talking back to my wife. I held onto what wits I had left just long enough to get her back into her room. Once there I did the best impersonation of a man possessed that the world has ever seen and came just short or destroying the very same room I had been trying to cleaned for the past 3 hours!!! Did I mention there was still homework to do??? I felt as though my head would explode. After a few minutes of deep breathing I went to her and tried my best to explain why she needs to listen and follow directions and blah blah blah.

I struggle at being a father more than anything else in my life and it is times like these that make me wake up screaming at night. I love my kids more than life itself, but God help me, there are times when military school is a real option. And what did this all stem from? That little 10 x 13 foot patch of real estate we call Beccah's Room.

Deep breath and count to 10....

R.P.D.