It is not yet 10 a.m., but already someone is crying.
This is a new record for our family, on the annual day of Daddy-enforced vacuuming and compulsory thoughtfulness.
"I hate you Daddy!" screams the fourth-grader, who has not emptied the dishwasher quickly enough for his liking. "It's MOTHER'S DAY," he will remind them more than once through gritted teeth.
Yesterday, he made them draw up a list of chores and sign some sort of cease-fire.
But the strain is already beginning to show.
There is some sort of disagreement over ownership of a baseball bat that has been left in the living room. It is dragged upstairs under protest, crashing against each step on the way.
But it is not all crying, fighting and tersely issued commands.
There is also arts and crafts. The seventh-grader, under threat of god-knows-what, is gluing a border of tiny colored jewels onto a handmade card.
He will even, just this once, allow me to photograph him. Possibly I will be allowed to ruffle his hair.
It is good to be the queen, even of a small warring nation bearing sticky tributes.
I've spent my entire Mother's Day doing MORE than I normally do on the weekend. All because "Daddy" is sick. Damn. I can't wait until Father's Day. I swear I feel a cold coming on...
Gotta go put the laundry away.
Posted by: Cathy | May 11, 2008 at 06:28 PM
Nothing like a stressed out spouse and grumpy kids to make your Mother's Day just perfect!
I was fantasizing today - not about ME going on vacation - but THEM. All of them with me left ALONE in the house for 2 weeks...
Sigh... I can dream can't I?
Posted by: Optimist | May 11, 2008 at 09:29 PM
Happy Mothers Day!
I spent the day being waited on by Ninja. And then playing Wii fit, where the thing told me I am fat. But it was all outweighed by the Ninja.
Cause a family dressed as Ninja and making breakfast is priceless.
Posted by: Kelley | May 11, 2008 at 09:53 PM
Well, it's taken 26 years, but at last I have trained everyone to give me the mother's day I dream of. On mother's day I am not a mother. Leave me alone. Stay away from me. Get your own food. Keep away from my wine. Ok, you can say Happy Mother's Day to me if you want, but only if it's from the other side of my closed bedroom door.
Posted by: Sue | May 13, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Perfect. They can slide the cards under the door...
Posted by: Suburban Kamikaze | May 13, 2008 at 01:31 PM
I also enjoyed the rumblings of a 4th and 7th grader doing dishes and putting away laundry - we have so much in common!
The 7th grader however did not manage to make a card and was ceremoniously embarrassed that the 4th grader DID make me a card! I felt a little bad for her, then I decided she could have gotten off the phone 10 minutes sooner to make me one! Sigh...
Posted by: aPeetsMom | May 13, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Wait...so it was mother's day recently?
Great writing.
Posted by: Ok, Where Was I? | May 16, 2008 at 09:12 AM
Any Mother's Day in which I'm NOT yelling "Dammit! I'm not even out of bed yet, and already you're both grounded?!" is just not a Mother's Day. Thank you for making me feel somewhat less freakish.
Posted by: foolery | May 17, 2008 at 10:56 PM