Why some mammals eat their young

There are stages in every mother's parenting journey when they would like to


A: Run screaming down the street like a raving lunatic in hopes that someone will call the police and lock her up for a few weeks of much needed rest.


B. Ship her children off on the next boat to Madagascar


C: Eat her young





None of the above choices are all that great if one still wants to be considered a good mother. So, her next choice is to grit her teeth, desperately pray for patience and count to 10, 500, a 1,000,000 or however long it takes to control her own anger before facing the naked 1-year-old who has suddenly required contortionist skills and is willfully choosing to exercise those skills during diaper changing time.

Honestly, it's not the diaper changes that make me want to loose my cool, throw myself on the ground and join whatever toddler has lost their cool. It's the time where all children experience personality changes---teething time.

Right now, Naters is cutting all 4 eye teeth at once. He's not slept through the night in over two weeks. Serious snot flows and he always gets congested during teething time. It's also height-season allergy time and he can't breath to well because of that either. You would think that after my 4th child the constant crying wouldn't get to me so much...or the biting...or the kicking....or the yanking of older sister's hair (just because he knows he shouldn't). But, after 2 weeks of mind--numbing screaming, my human patience is stretched to the max (and God forgot to grant me a large dose to begin with). (and yes, I have been giving him pain medicine).
Just last week the little bugger screamed himself into his and his sister's room and proceeded to pull every one of her beloved American Girl Doll books off her shelf. He also pulled off her piggy bank, her porcelain duck (I'm still not sure why she likes that thing), and her ceramic hand-painted Precious Moments clock. He walked back into the living room where a friend and I were trying to visit, looked at me, cried louder and walked back into his room. He was trying to get me to follow him. When I did, I noticed that he had not touched one item of his own precious stash of toys. (Who says that a 19 month old can't reason). He was just plain being a little turd!

Luke has worked a lot the last 2 months. He's also worked 7 weekends straight (including Easter--which I cried most of the day through). I was so frustrated and angry reading everyone else's happy little posts of their Easter joy. I was just trying to keep my sanity in church and not allow the little guy to run screaming down the front just because he wanted too. I ended up leaving the service entirely with Good Lookin' in tow and threats of no Easter egg hunt at Grandma's to the other 2 if they got out of the pew and came after me. I sat outside in the hall and held him screaming on my lap

I'm worn out! I'm tired! I am very cranky and short fused right now. I've felt like a single parent with Luke's crazy work schedule and am so excited he is being transferred closer to home.

But, there is always a silver lining at the end of every sob story. Two teeth have come through those little swollen gums. I don't have to be hauled off to prison for cannibalism, and life does resume a shiny new--tooth normal.