Late at the Pool

Whew, we were out late at the pool this evening.   Multiple events and people caused us to linger longer than we normally would have.   Were it a summer day with no school (only two more days until school is out) it would have been different, but we needed to get back home.   Or, rather, I needed to get the children back home to get them to bed so they’d be up and ready for the day tomorrow on time.

We got home and there were issues.  The older child’s issue was not listening or more to the point ignoring and doing nothing he was asked to do while at the same time doing things he was specifically told not to do (pull out toys to play with).   The younger child was unable to do anything useful at all because it was colder inside than outside which in her mind translated to sitting on the floor screaming about the cold and loudly crying.  

Neither child was helping at all, something I had asked them if they could please do given the late hour because I let them stay at the pool with the multiple families they wanted to play with instead of getting out and coming home at an earlier time.

So I screamed.   I don’t mean I yelled, I screamed.   I think I scared them.   I hate when I do the yelling thing, I doubly hate when I do the screaming thing.   It centered them though and they got dressed, brushed their teeth and the complaining was reduced by at least sixty percent.  

When we went upstairs to bed I read them one of their favorite books after finding out they still wanted me to come into their room to read and say goodnight after the screaming incident.   We ended the night on a good note and I apologized, saying moms and dads get upset and mad sometimes too.  

The Big Boy Update:  This morning I was talking to my son, who wasn’t paying attention.   I told him I needed him to look at me so he could listen to what I was saying.   He looked at me and said, “you don’t look like you’re young so I’m not gonna look at you.”  Ouch.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter got out of the pool this afternoon and lay down on the dry concrete to soak in its warmth.   She got up a few seconds later and after looking down said, “look, it’s a wet picture of me.”