Overwhelmed & just plain PO'd

Been there, done that! Nearly 20 years of it and it drove me nuts sometimes, I felt so unappreciated. In fact, sometimes I felt like a servant with bedroom duty and I was convinced that was all I was. The lack of help and the family not taking my feelings as important really depressed and angered me. With small children, you can't very well tell them they're being inconsiderate--well, you can but they won't really understand and they'll think you're upset just because of them. But tell them you've got too much to do and can't break up their fights today. That you need a break for just an hour and if they have to go to their rooms in order for you to get a break, that's what will happen. Teach them now that you have feelings. Insist on some help and try to make it a fun family thing for them and for you. Talk to your husband, calmly. It probably won't do any good but you have to try. Men just don't get it, they think we have it easy when we stay home with the children. You have lots of company!

Deep Breaths... Feel better now after your rant? I have days like that just about everyday, and I've got 2 more than you! My oldest is 12 and really should know better and should be old enough to do plenty of things for me, but just doesn't, or when he does his 6 year old siblings could have done it better. He's 5 and half years older than them, but has to fight with them constantly. I went into the bathroom this morning and I hear my daughter screaming at the top of her lungs "I just don't want to, okay, the leave the HE** alone!". Apparently the older one was trying to convince the younger ones to play football with him when they went outside... of course they aren't allowed out until after lunch, and they were discussing this at like 8am. Come on!! Of course hubby is like never home, but when he is he yells at them and lectures them. Just yesterday he's telling them they each have 10 pennies, and when they misbehave they'll have a penny taken away, and our weekend fun is going to cost them each so many pennies so they'd better behave so their pennies aren't taken away so they can spend them on our fun stuff. Well in all honesty each of them could have had all their pennies taken away this morning because they're not behaving at all!! And that's just my older 3. I won't even add the youngest 2 and their wonderful little attitude problems because somehow they both think they're spoiled rotten and can do and say whatever the heck they want. My 3 year old has started stomping his feet and putting his hands on his hips and giving me this attitude and ending every sentance with the word "Mommmmmmmmm" as if I'm the most stupid person on the planet!! And the 18 month old is going through a screeching phase which makes me want to throw something through the window! And to think, my summer vacation has only just begun! They don't go back until 2nd week of September.

first of all, take a deep breath and let it out slowly... do it a few times and it should make you feel better... i don't have a child yet... but from your post i know how you must be feeling... i will feel the same like you if i were in your position... why don't you just give all of them a time out and take away their privileges (such as watching TV, playing with their toys, pocket money or anything that they like) from them for a few days for misbehaving so that they will feel the pain??? this is just a suggestion because this is what my parents did to me and it worked really well... good luck... hope your day will be better... take care and have a nice day...

i go on strike and go somewhere for awhile. beach,movies,something just to get me out of the house. i don't tell them where i'm going either,they know i'm pissed at that point. my favorite is going to mc donalds by myself and not bringing them any,it just kills them lol

Get them to bed as early as poss tonight and then get on the sofa with a big cup of tea and the remote control and chill for the night. Tomorrow is another day and hopefully you'll feel better by then. x

I'm so sorry to hear that - at this time of day too! It's only 8:30 AM (here in Cali at least)! Maybe you should tell all your kids that they're on timeout - they can't talk to each other or to you for a good 15-20 minutes until they fix their attitude about the toys and such. And your eldest should get a longer time out - unless she decides to help you out. In which case you can negotiate - 5 minutes less if she helps with the dishes. And additional 5 minutes (that's minus ten minutes!) if she puts away the toys. Now she gets minus 10 minutes if she makes sure that her sibs are not going to bicker with each other and keeps the peace (that's already minus 20 minutes of timeout!). Just an idea. Hang in there, mommy. I'm sure everything will work itself out.