I have never been particularly calm or patient person. I am prone to blowing my top when things don’t work out the way I’d prefer.
For example, I hate the rain cover for my double buggy with a passion. It will only work and cover both children when assembled exactly the right way, an inch wrong and your stuffed. So picture me in the street today, and it suddenly starts to rain heavily. I pull the rain cover out from under the buggy. This in itself is ridiculously difficult. The buggy in question is a Phil and Ted’s. My daughter is sat in the underneath seat, the rain cover in the basket beneath her feet. Just pulling the cover out without her ending up injured is a challenge.
Then I try and assemble the thing over the children, while getting soaked myself.
I’m literally wresting a huge unwieldy piece of plastic over my buggy’s frame. Robo Boy (my preschooler) then starts kicking his feet out against the rain cover pushing it in completely the wrong direction.
Hair wet and dripping into my eyes I resist the urge to shout at him. There are onlookers, so I use my best I’m a good mother voice and say “darling please don’t kick the cover, mummy needs you to help her by being still”. Honestly what I wanted to say was “stop it snotface or mummy’s head is going to explode!.”
Finally I get the cover in place. As I set off a bus drives past us and manages to drive through an enormous puddle. I am soaked head to foot. Worse the water has managed to get underneath the cover soaking my baby in the bottom of the buggy. I lost my temper. The onlookers where treated to me shouting expletives at the driver and stamping my feet like a toddler mid tantrum.
Did my day get any better after that you ask? Unfortunately, later that day I had another opportunity to display not only outstanding patience, but also fantastic friendship skills…
My friend and I were walking to a football class. Between us we had two four year-olds, a preschooler and two babies. Robo Boy was in the front of the aforementioned double buggy. He had insisted on carrying his Peppa Pig sticker book I had bought along to keep him entertained, while my eldest did football. As we chased our slightly out of control four year-olds down the street, disaster struck. The wind took the book out of his hands and off down the street.
My friend (with her baby in a sling) started to run after it. I was left with the other children powerless to affect the fate of the book. I imagined the book being lost and me with nothing to entertain Robo Boy. Then my friend got hold off the book but alas, the sticker page continued to blow down the street. In all honesty my friends running skills where not what I had hoped for. She was in the road baby on her back stumbling after the book.
Now, I’m embarrassed to admit this next part. Please don’t judge, or if you do keep it to yourself. What was my first thought in all this? I’d imagine you’d think it would be for the safety of my friend in the road with her baby. Did I shout “leave the book, come out of the road” ? I wish I could say that I did. Unfortunately what I shouted was “Get them! The stickers are an integral part of the book.” Whoops!
In my defence there were no cars around.
Oooh you baaaad woman!! Fancy caring more for the stickers! I find my patience wears thin sometimes over really silly, trivial things that before I wouldn’t have cared about. So I blame it on hormones and being bloody knackered!! Xx
You sound just like me ! I lack patience in any given situation – you’ve made me chuckle this morning !
It is seriously hard to stay calm sometimes. I stalled my car right across the street yesterday, and my car is funny about starting up again. I have to basically switch everything off, take the keys out and then restart. I don’t have the patience for this (especially when I am holding up traffic and entertaining pedestrians) and my lack of patience leads to much swearing and general nastiness and I take AGES to get the car started again. Which just makes it worse.
I totally sympathise on the plastic rain cover thingies. I think they were designed with maximum frustration in mind.
Ha. I love this.
We are mothers, not perfect people and it is good when we accept that and don’t feel we have to present an image to the world.
I would not have judged you, when you shouted at the bus driver, but would have joined in ranting.
Absolutely loving this post…it is so what we ALL go through! 😉 Well written…I was right there in the rain with you! Love it. Hope you had a nice G&T later!
🙂 Karin
thanks , and yes with ice and lemon!
Morning, what a great post! You have had me chuckling at my desk (NOT GOOD – had to think up a work related reason for said giggling!). Look forward to reading about your patience (or lack of it!) in the future. xxx (ps found you @ love new blogs) xxx
Thanks, and don’t worry there are likely to be many more meltdown moments on my blog.
This made me laugh! I used to be quite patient (I think!) until I became a mum, I don’t know what it is now but anything that takes me longer than a second results in me getting in a right state and like you said makes my brain want to explode! x
I wish I could claim the same but I’ve always had the patience of a toddler. Thanks for popping by
Oh no, not a fun day, but entertaining to look back on once you are home and dry with the kids in bed! Everyone has days like that, and I think I’d have been shouting to not leave the stickers too! 🙂
Rain covers are the most difficult thing to get on/off. Total pain!! I loved this post! I think patience does wear thin very easily when your running round all day after little ones! 🙂 x
Totally with you. I am completely lacking in patience and shout far too much but they can drive you insane!
OMG this sooo could have been me writing this. I lost my patience when I became a Mum, I’m sure it’s around here somewhere along with my sense of perspective and my waistline… fab post that had me chuckling into my coffee this morning. Thank you! (P.S. Visiting you from Love New Blogs.)
Thanks for all your comments. Good to know I’m not the only one swearing at buggy rain covers. Especially good to see Love New Blogs bringing in some new readers.
Oh how we all hate rain covers with a passion! Very well said and completely understandable x
Ace post! I’ve been there! Many times. Why are the raincovers so awful? Mine doesn’t cover the twins feet – um – are their feet supposed to get wet?
By the way found this post through Love New Blogs, though I’ve visited before.