A Day in My Life

Anybody else out there have mornings like this?

I awake to the sound of my daughter yelling, "Mommmmyyyyy!" It takes a few more calls before I'm out of bed and pushing open the door to her room. "Good morning Mommy," she says in a booming voice. So much for sleeping in. My eyes are barely open, it's pitch black outside and she's ready for breakfast. I plop her on the couch, take the dog out, then head to the kitchen for my 730th bowl of oatmeal. After that she bounds into the playroom and our game of cat and mouse begins.

I ask to change her diaper, she screams, "noooooo!" Then, I try to bride her. "Either we change your diaper or you can go back to bed." She relents. Who knew blackmail would be my best weapon as a mother. The rest of the morning goes pretty much like this:

J: “I want chocolate milk.”
M: “No, you can have juice.”
J: “Noooooooooooooooooo!” She falls to the floor. “I want chocolate milk!”
M: “You can have apple juice.”
J: “Nooooooooooooo!”
M: “Come on, you can help me pour.” She follows me to the kitchen, still crying. After she drinks her juice, it’s time to get dressed.
M: “OK sweetie, let’s get dressed.”
J: “Noooooooooooooooooo!” She runs away.
M: “Come here please”
J: “Nooooooooooooooo!”
M: “Honey, we have to get dressed so we can go to school.”
J: “No, no, no, no, noooooooo!”
M: “Either you get dressed or you’re going to your room.” After 5 more minutes of whining, she finally lets me dress her. I’m already exhausted and the day hasn’t even begun. I let her play for a little while before the next battle.
M: “OK honey, let’s get our shoes on. It’s time to go to school.”
J: “Nooooooooooooooooo!”
M: “We can listen to the Wiggles in the car. Don’t you want to go play with your friends?”
J: “I want to stay here!”
M: “I’m sorry honey, but Mommy has to go to work. If you can be a big girl and help me put your shoes on, I’ll give you a sticker.” That works. Now, it’s time to get in the car. I’m sure you can imagine how the rest of the story plays out.