(Good) parenting requires patience the size of a watermelon. Much of the time, I do have watermelon-sized patience. But sometimes, I swear the kids like to test me. And sometimes, my patience shrinks to the size of a cantaloupe. I can feel my patience shrinking, and I try to hold on to it. When, for example, a boy sneaks into his bedroom to get a Kung Zhu pet while his other brother is still sleeping, and the Kung Zhu pet starts shrieking, "Woo-woo-WOOOOOO!!!", I tried not to lose my watermelon-sized patience, but it shrunk to a cantaloupe anyway. Then, when both boys wanted to sit by Kaitlyn for breakfast, but neither one wanted to sit by the wall, bickering ensued. They started tattling on each other, and they started pushing each other off of the stool they both wanted. And my patience shrunk to the size of a grape. I raised my voice. I became a dictator. "Aidan, you go sit by the wall. Stop being mean to your brother. I have had ENOUGH!"
He started crying.
I felt bad.
I took a few deep breaths, and allowed my patience to grow - back to a lemon, then an orange, then a cantaloupe again.
I hugged and kissed the boys, sent them off to school, and now I vow to be at a watermelon again by the time they get home.
I just caught Kaitlyn trying to play in the toilet while I was typing this post.
Think watermelon thoughts. Think watermelon thoughts.
Now I'm hungry.
18 people wanted to leave a comment:
Children playing in toilets is going to do me in soon. I broke my toddler of it a year ago but now that the baby does it, he's decided it looks fun again. The worst part is an 11-year-old who doesn't remember to flush and . . . they just really need to stop.
Watermelon is pretty delicious.
Before I even got to the part about the grape, I was thinking that my patience is usally only the size of one. I would love to maintain at least a lemon. I'm working on it. Daily. You're amazing for being more watermelon then anything else. ☺
The very fact that your son cried over such a small (to me) thing shows that you are awesome. I am not at all surprised that you are patient with your kids. You definitely seem like a patient person. I want to be more like you.
I love this post! I try to think those watermelon thoughts too. It feels good when it works, yucky when it doesn't. You are great, Erin.
Well, I was thinking my patience usually shrinks down to a grape before you got to that point in the post too. And I am not talking a humongous globe grape either. More like a blueberry even.
As long as we know how to reign it in, we're doing ok. :)
I'm impressed---your patience shrinks much more slowly than mine. I can shoot from watermelon to grape in a matter of seconds!
Erin, my patience is a raisin most of the time. If the kids are lucky, it's a craisin.
Haha. My husband wishes that my patience was the size of a grape. That is a major weakness for me. I expect to be listened to NOW and when my kids even ignore me once, I tend to blow up. My mom calls me on it all the time but then tells me I got it from her. I try so hard but fail most of the time. I do have a 2 year old that is getting used to being the middle child who is really learning to push my buttons. Oh the humanity!
I love this post and I feel that my patience is usually the size of a cherry. I love this, this is going to become my new mantra "Think watermelon thoughts, think watermelon thoughts." Love you girl!!
I feel like I can never find my cantaloupe self. I'll be a watermelon for a good while, even despite major snottiness, then POOF I'm a grape. No in between.
I remember reading an article in a magazine about a mom who put her patience in fruit sizes just like this! She would tell her kids what fruit it was at that moment so they would know how much it was safe to bug her.
I should send you a link to a blog post I recently read about playing in the toilet. You will DIE.
You forgot to mention that you are a single parent this week! You get bonus points for having any patience at all!!!
"Think watermelon thoughts" is totally going to be my mantra! When they're really testing my nerves, I like to imagine some overly silly item that I would buy with the money in their college fund. I feel so much better after a closet full of fancy shoes that I'd never actually wear.
I START with the cantaloupe!
I think I'm more of a raisin.
Oh good analogy! I am a grape way too often. I will have to remember this, I think it will help,
Awe! haha! I love this! It's a good way to describe the shrinking of patience. I'm not sure I ever even start out with it the size of a lemon, so it doesn't take long before a grape is in our presence!
CUTE!!! I love this way of thinking!
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