A Bad Mommy Kind of Day...

So Saturday I had one of those days....when the Bad Mommy is right underneath the surface, threatening to come out and snap the heads off the little children who were apparently glued to my legs.

I hate the Bad Mommy. I hate that she lives in me, always there, always lurking. I hate that she always seems to be strongest during a certain week each month, and how my girls sometimes feel as though they need to run and hide because they too, do not like the Bad Mommy.

The Bad Mommy does not communicate well. The Bad Mommy has never read How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk. She has never read Attachment Parenting. In fact, I bet the only thing the Bad Mommy has read is anything by Stephen King. Her form of loving discipline is yelling. Loudly. And the kids run away....

But, on Saturday I managed to keep the Bad Mommy buried. I figured out my secret weapon. See, I'm really not into trying to be the perfect mommy; I only try to be the best mommy I can. But when I felt the Bad Mommy's strong presence within me, I ditched trying to be even the best mommy I can. Instead, I focused on just being a mommy who doesn't scare her kids. And it worked. Observe:

As you can see, my children are having cereal for dinner. No fancy home cooked meal tonight, that effort just opens the door for the Bad Mommy. You can see my kids know something is up by the look of fear on the Mermaid's face, and the look of suspicion on the Guppy's. And that glass in the foreground? Full of wine.

This picture was taken at about 10pm. My kids are not in bed, they are not even in their pj's. I have no idea where the Mermaid was when I took this picture, but as you can see, the Guppy is watching Mary Poppins like a zombie. No limited TV for these children today! And yes, I was still sitting at the table with a wine glass when I took this. I was actually playing cards with the Knight. Who, by the way, found this whole incident insanely funny. (I think he was just relieved. He doesn't want to admit it, but he's afraid of the Bad Mommy too).

So, we escaped the clutches of the Bad Mommy this time. Hopefully she won't come back with a vengeance.

A Bad Mommy Kind of Day...