My biggest parenting meltdown.

[mickeysmyboy]

Oh my goodness! I haven't read the responses but I have to tell you you made me laugh and cry at the same time!

I have 3 kids younger. They've recently been pushing me to the limit of my sanity!

My youngest, who's 2, is a terror lately. He's been a great little boy all along but recently the terrible 2's have hit. He enjoys nothing more then tormenting his older brother, who's 7. DS7 won't fight back unless really, really pushed.

Earlier today DS2 threw an empty soda can that he had taken out of the trash at his brother. The kid is strong and he threw it with a major league pitch! Unfortunately for me he didn't have major league accuracy and the can hit me in the face, hard!

I almost lost it! Counting to 10 wasn't going to cut this one! I put him in time out and yelled at him, loud. Unlike me. He stayed there for a good 30 minutes if not more.

I'm not sure I got my point across but he chilled out for the rest of the day.

My point is that no parent, like no person, is perfect. You may not be proud of what you did but it happens. It's bound to! All parents reach the breaking point at some point! Don't worry about it! I'm sure your a great dad! I hope you had a fabulous trip despite the button pushing teenager! Yosemite is on my bucket list!

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

Wall-E,
I have totally been in those shoes. My DS23 was hell on wheels and he knew just how to hit my buttons. If I had been there I would have helped you hold that boy down while you cussed him out. And we could have stuffed some snow in his ears and down his pants, too!

I am not too ashamed to admit that I have had some memorable meltdowns involving DS, including allowing him to fall from a car that was moving at about 3mph (still, he did do an admirable roll across the pavement in front of spectators.) And then I drove off and left him laying there. I knew he wasn't hurt by the way he chased my car and kicked the side panel twice(I wasn't going very fast.) So I got mad and left him. We only live about 1 mile away, but he chose to walk about 6 miles to church to tell his youth leader how I had thrown him from the car, then backed up and saw that he was hurt and then just drove off and he didn't know WHERE I was, poor dear. Thankfully, the youth leader had been around the block a time or two. Of course, every time my special snowflake gets his mad on, I hear about "the time you threw me out of the car." I have, of course, apologized most profusely for my bad behavior and at this point I'm not going to apologize again. It happened, I can't make it unhappen.

Parenting unruly teens sucks about as bad as any bad job I've ever had (my DD17 has NEVER done the things her brother did!) I believe the reason God makes little babies so precious is so we don't kill them and eat them when they turn 14.

But, really, as long as he is ok [before I get someone on my case from laughing at this]

My parents never really got annoyed with me. It isn't until now, my teen years, that I am a smart mouth and I know it. I don't mean to be. It is my dad's genetics.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

I don't think you sound like a bad parent at all - I think you sound like a fairly typical parent whose kid is driving them crazy!!!

My parents were incredibly calm when I was a hideous teenager (I think being members of a wine club had something to do with it!) but DH always tells the story of his dad throwing him out of his car when he was 15! He was driving along with his dad who was yelling at him and DH was laughing (is there anything more annoying?!) and his dad finally stops the car, says he's had enough, reaches over to unbuckle DH's seatbelt and yells "you can get out the car and walk home" (they were maybe a half mile from home) Only when he unbuckles the seatbelt, he accidently presses on the gas just as DH is opening the door. The car lurches forward, DH goes flying out the door and lands in a muddy ditch on the side of the road!!! He also managed to break his wrist in the process. His poor father felt terrible and of course, DH brought it up at every opportunity, especially when family was over!

 

[Wall-E1]

I don't think you sound like a bad parent at all - I think you sound like a fairly typical parent whose kid is driving them crazy!!!

My parents were incredibly calm when I was a hideous teenager (I think being members of a wine club had something to do with it!) but DH always tells the story of his dad throwing him out of his car when he was 15! He was driving along with his dad who was yelling at him and DH was laughing (is there anything more annoying?!) and his dad finally stops the car, says he's had enough, reaches over to unbuckle DH's seatbelt and yells "you can get out the car and walk home" (they were maybe a half mile from home) Only when he unbuckles the seatbelt, he accidently presses on the gas just as DH is opening the door. The car lurches forward, DH goes flying out the door and lands in a muddy ditch on the side of the road!!! He also managed to break his wrist in the process. His poor father felt terrible and of course, DH brought it up at every opportunity, especially when family was over!

Accidentally hit the gas? Hmmm? That's a good excuse. I might just use that one.

That's terrible about the broken wrist, but I still couldn't help but laugh at the image of a teenager hurtling towards a muddy ditch. That image warms my heart when I think about it in relation to my own teenager.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

That made me smile... I have so wanted to do that before...

Well, we can do this together at WDW when our kids throw a fit. It will be a classic!

Wall-E,
I believe the reason God makes little babies so precious is so we don't kill them and eat them when they turn 14.

Love this!!!! I'm forwarding that one on to DH.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

here was my vent for the week.....

My children will not survive until April vacation. If they survive through vacation it will be a miracle!

DS13's iPod died. You would think the world has ended, a most painful death. Apparently without music, life is not worth living.

DS9 has decided that DS13 is now his personal punching bag. Then wonders why DS13 hates him.

DS8, driving me batty with the pacing, talking at a 1000 miles an hour. Never shutting up, EV.ER!!!! Seriously, not even in his sleep.

DD4 has decided she can go outside whenever she feels the need. With.out.telling.any.one.
And has decided to change clothes 4 times a day
And has decided to paint........ everything. Including said clothes and my furniture. One guess as to what color?!?!?

I have been pretty sick all week. So bad that I missed a hugely important meeting at school with the 8th grade (so not like me), I slept, well tried to sleep from 5 to 10 Wed night. DS13 had to cook dinner, with Ma's(my mom) supervision.
Today was the first day I took in the scope of the Cat 4 tornado that ripped through my house. Exactly how much mess can 4 little kids make in 3 days????

Calgon take me away!!!!!!!

Oh and OP, if it were my kid not only would the shaking been enough to rattle a few brain cells, I'd have smacked him upside the head for being such a dolt, and dragged him by the ear to the car rental counter and had him explain why there were dents in the car and have them come to an agreement as to how to pay for the repairs, and it would not have included money. I'm fond of manual labor. 100 cars need washing?? AWESOME, here's a bucket!

And my favorite line is,
Kid - "I hate you!"
me - "Good, then I'm doing my job!"

Hang in there. Some day the kids will be adults repeating the same things we said to them, even when they swore they would never be the horrible parents we were. Karma, she's your friend!

 

[PrincessKsMom]

And my favorite line is,
Kid - "I hate you!"
me - "Good, then I'm doing my job!"



That's so funny, I tell my DD the same thing.

I also tell her my sole reason for being put on this earth is to make her life a living he!!

 

[surfergirl602]

Glad to see you're back.

 

[happygirl]

Wall E I can never tell when you are telling a true story or pulling our legs. This was great. I appulad you in either cases

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I also tell her my sole reason for being put on this earth is to make her life a living he!!

I've been known to say that a time or 2 as well.


Or, "life isn't fair, and the sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be!"
That one got me the gasps and horror faces at kindergarten orientation. All the fit tossing over not getting a red folder. And to this day my kid (DS8) rolls with it if he doesn't get his way.

 

[iwrbnd]

My mom says that teenagers are the way they are so we won't miss them when they leave home!!! People think the worst stage is terrible 2's? Just wait until they are teenagers!!

I say the same thing! It's so true, too!

 

[minniecarousel]

I am a smart mouth and I know it. I don't mean to be. It is my dad's genetics.

ha-ha! I can't wait for my boys to have kids - "what goes around, comes around" - which DH & I can't figure out, since we really weren't problem children for our parents.

 

[momofboyz]

As a mother of 4 boys, I know the feeling,
My oldest is 11 and going thru the whole, "I'm a pre-teen, I think I am cool, attitude"- seriously one of us(either him or myself will not make it until he turns 12. I keep saying nobody warned me about the attitude change for 11 yr olds.

Then there is the very hyper 9 yr old, and the 6 yr old who is starting to get mouthy but loves bothering his older brothers, I guess I should mention that he also had his tonsils out in the last year so he has this really loud high pitch squealing voice

and last is my adorable 19 month old who is beginning his terrible 2's.

I seriously think I need to be committed sometimes.

 

[iwrbnd]

I love reading all these stories! They make me laugh and feel better! I went through hell when my oldest was 14 and 15! He's fine now but in those days I felt like I was losing my mind! I would confront my husband at the door when he got home from work (he's a doctor) and I would say "Someone needs to be medicated in this house, him or me, you choose!" My poor DH would stand there with eyes wide open and look so flabbergasted!

My worst moment was when my son said "I'm running away!" and I answered "Pack your bags!" (And I meant it!)

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I love reading all these stories! They make me laugh and feel better! I went through hell when my oldest was 14 and 15! He's fine now but in those days I felt like I was losing my mind! I would confront my husband at the door when he got home from work (he's a doctor) and I would say "Someone needs to be medicated in this house, him or me, you choose!" My poor DH would stand there with eyes wide open and look so flabbergasted!

My worst moment was when my son said "I'm running away!" and I answered "Pack your bags!" (And I meant it!)

Said that one too! LOL

DH says he knows the kind of day I've had just by the way I say Hello when I answer the phone.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

And DH says all the time that one of them will make it to adulthood, we just haven't figured out which one yet.

 

[Wall-E1]

Wall E I can never tell when you are telling a true story or pulling our legs. This was great. I appulad you in either cases

It was all true. I sugar coated none of it. In fact, the only part I edited out was the foul language that spilled freely from my lips.

Here is the offending teen and the victimized car on the morning of the incident...

I had sent him out that morning with a hotel towel to wipe the snow off of the car windows. We were woefully unprepared for the freak, winter blizzard that struck the night before.


And just to give you some perspective as to the size of the snowballs that this evil seed produces...

For anyone wondering about his boots - I don't know if they are women's or men's. We only have one store in South Florida that sells snow boots and their selection wasn't very large. The clerk whispered to me that some of his choices were women's boots. I'm not sure if this was one or not. Although, considering how the rest of our vacation was going, cross dressing would not be unusual in the least.

 

[daisy2]

Wall-E 1 I just want to say you made me laugh I am sorry you had to deal with your teenage son. My dad always said (especially to my brother who was the one who gave my parents a run for their money) Grandchildren will be his revenge on my brother and sure enough my brother has had to deal with 4 children two of which are just like my brother.

 

[MushyMushy]

Oh my, I have had some mighty meltdowns!

I was so SOOOOO lucky that my DS didn't like to draw attention to himself in public; he saved it all up for home. At home he knew every button to push. I could see it coming a mile away, and I'd sit and tell myself, "Self, you're the adult here, don't let him push those buttons, be calm, walk away," then BOOM! The button gets pushed and I go off.

Yeah, good times. He somehow managed to make it to 19 and is a contributing member of society.

 

[drag n' fly]

As the Mother of a 16, 14 and 7 year old I now understand why some Mother's/Father's eat their young. I can totally relate OP