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I won't belabor the specific issues, but I'm finding this stage in my life to be the hardest thing I've dealt with yet. Harder than the never-sleeping newborn stage, harder than the terrible tantrum toddler years, harder than the brink-of-puberty years. I know all of you that have raised your kids will tell me that it gets better. I hope that happens soon, or I will end up in the nuthouse! (You think I'm kidding...)
I ran from one thing to the other this week...school meetings, a school-related luncheon, doctor appointments, excessive work in the yard since things have started growing again, kids' sports, and a business event with my husband one night. Blogging has taken a back seat to everything right now.
I wasn't even able to squeeze in a few hours towards the 24 hour readathon like I'd hoped. Saturday was bursting at the seams from morning until night. Maybe this fall!
We did book our tickets to Poland and Indiana this summer, so I have started to get excited about these trips to see our families and friends. We are hoping to get a chance to see some cool stuff in Warsaw and Prague while we are in Europe.
I did wrap up the audio of "Carrie" this week, which was fun. I listened to a couple of discs of "Seraphina" but just couldn't understand what was going on. I attribute that mostly to my distraction...I will come back to it when I'm more grounded. So then I turned to "Fire in the Ashes" by Jonathan Kozol, a book about the last 25 years he has spent with the most severely disadvantaged children in this country. He touches on their situation as children and their fates as they grew up and became adults. Amazing audio, some terrifying stories and some that touched my heart. I should wrap that up in the next few days.
In print I am like a slug. I did finish "Orphan Train" and really liked it. I now have started "The Rage" by Gene Kerrigan, a Irish crime thriller recommended to me by Marie. It is really gritty and well-written, I just need a few minutes to settle down and read the thing.
So today we will go to church, and my daughter and I will do our animal shelter duties. But what I am really excited about is going with my husband and son to see Rush in concert tonight. I have loved that band since I was in early high school, actually saw them in concert in high school with their Moving Pictures tour, and really look forward to all their manic energy and amazing music once again. The fun thing is that my music tastes have rubbed off on my son, so he is totally ready for this.
So what do you all have planned for today? Sleeping off the readathon?
14 comments:
I wish I could be more reassuring, but it's probably going to get worse before it gets better... eventually they turn 20. The 'issues' are different, more important in a long term sense (even life-altering, in some ways), and more expensive.
Have fun at the concert! I'm sorry you've been having a difficult and stressful time lately. There's always wine to soothe the pain! ;)
So many people want to be home with their kids when they're small and then go back to work when they enter school. Since raising one of my own, I think anyone can take care of a child when they're small, but parents should be there when they're teens. I don't have all these gray hairs for nothing.
I knew you'd love Fire in the Ashes. I want that book to get more attention.
I read 4 whole pages yesterday (one could say I had an ANTI-readathon....)
And I fail to see why you have to go to Poland when you can JUST COME TO CHICAGO - SAME THING! :--) (well, except for the specific family members....)
I absolutely agree with Kathy - my kids' teenage years were the most challenging years of parenting. They have so much going on inside and out, and when they need you, it's like, right now, this minute, where are you, I need you! My two oldest are in university now, and while it's still as challenging, it's at least less frequent, although the intensity level is still there - and now they really are making some pretty important decisions. I'm starting to wonder if maybe it's always going to be like this!
And it's so cool that you're going to see Rush!
We moved Caitie home from UNF. She's home for a couple of weeks before she's off to Dallas for summer internship. I wish I could tell you teens get better, because they do, but the age of your two is tough. My girls really grew up a TON after they went to college, and I enjoy them more. Nick, my son, has moments of good and bad...but there are choices he makes that drive me insane. I can't find an audio book I love...can you believe it? And I never got WWWWDA by Wendy Wax on my iphone...grrr. I've just started Call Me Zelda from Erika Robuck, and I really like it!! Hope your week is good...hang in there!!
Raising teenagers is the hardest part of parenting fullstop!! Even down here in New Zealand it is no easier, the sleepless nights when they were out and about in their teens made the sleepless nights as babies look peachy!
It does get better, but it certainly take a lot out of you. My youngest is 22 and I can now say, "they are back!". I whole-heartedly agree with Kathy! Enjoy the concert.
You are just as busy as I am yet you still have a sense of humor. Amazing. My sense of humor turns into yelling. My son said I yell too much. Hmmm. Wonder why??
I feel the exact same way about my kids. And blogging is definitely taking a back seat to life right now. I barely have time to crack a book right now.
(hug) Don't worry, it will slow down and you'll have some me time soon. It's better to be busy that bored, right?
All I can say is hang in there!
Oh man! I was hoping raising teenagers would be easy. :) This toddler thing is killing me....how will I make it though teenagers!!
No no no … don't tell me it gets HARDER!
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