Monday, 23 September 2013

Sure you can have a pony. Would you like cake with that?

As the last hot days of summer come to an end and the landscape is painted with beautiful oranges, yellows, and reds, our photography business is busier than we could have ever anticipated. Which is amazing. Like bust out the champagne and have a party to celebrate amazing.

Tracy and I shoot weddings together. Which means that we exhaust our childcare options with Saturdays that start at sun-up and go late into the night. So when we have additional shoots in the evenings and on Sundays it is just me who goes. Tracy stays home with Mac and gets all that fun evening and weekend time when rules are far and few between and the world is their oyster.

And it's starting to show.

I carried this child in my stomach for nine long months. He sat directly on my sciatic nerve for two of those months. But all of a sudden he likes her better. And we aren't talking he'd prefer her to put him to bed better. We're talking "Nooooooo Ma! WANT MO!" screaming until he's blue in the face better. And as he gets over this last bout of asthma we aren't supposed to let him get too upset so he wins. And she puts him to bed. And she pours his coconut milk. And I'm not even allowed to touch the remote. No Ma, Mo do 'mote. I mean, not that it's a competition or anything. Except when it is. And I'm totally loosing.

So Sunday morning rolls around and the only commitment I have is a family shoot at 2 PM. So with this rare free weekend morning I decide that I'm going to take Mac out for breakfast. But he wants none of it. Mo. No Ma. Mo. He's crying and I'm pleading and Tracy is trying to convince him that I'm not the monster he seems to think I am while trying to control her self-satisfied smirk. And it sucks.

So I convince him to leave the house with me by promising a visit to the choochoo instead of breakfast. But once in the car he still cries the whole way there. We head to the train set at Chapters (which is like Borders for those of you in the US). That seems to make him forget about the other half of his mothering duo.

And then we finish at the train and his eyes fall on the animal figurines for sale. He has this strange obsession with the over-priced animal figurines that you can find in places like Chapters and Michaels. He wants a pony. So I buy it for him. And then he wants another. And I buy that too. A new blue parrot from the craft store next door? Sure thing kid. Forty dollars later we are walking out of the store and he's clutching his loot to his chest.


I'm certain that I've made up for my parenting absences.

And then we return home and it's all he can do to get up the stairs without dropping his new friends so that he can show them to his favourite mom. Who, by the way, is not me.

Lesson of the day? You cannot buy your children's affection with plastic horse figurines. I'll try cake next. Unless you have a better suggestion.

Comments (8)

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Oh Kristin, I totally get it. For the first 18 months of his life my son was all about mommy and I totally loved being his favourite person. But a month or so ago I injured my spine which means I can't pick him up unless I'm seated, I can't get him out of his crib, I can't make his favourite dinner, I can't take him out by myself. The list of "Sorry buddy but Mommy can't..." is currently so long that I catch myself giving in when he wants a cookie or doesn't want to brush his teeth. And you're right, it doesn't work! Luckily my son has an awesome daddy who is picking up the slack but boy I can't wait for my surgery and to be healed so I can take back my place as the apple of his eye! Don't worry, I'm sure things will swing your way again too - toddlers love their phases.
1 reply · active 596 weeks ago
Izzy is 100% all about Kevin. When she gets a time out, she SCREAMS for daddy. The other night I was so exhausted, after listening to her scream for daddy, I locked myself in the bathroom and cried. It feels like she doesn't love me, even though I know she does. This parenting business is a tough one!
1 reply · active 596 weeks ago
Breathe... This too shall pass.
I know it's rough and some days you want to combination pull all your hair out/cry your eyes out all at once, but it really is a phase. My daughter went through the phase where it was all about Daddy. Daddy was a super hero. Daddy made the sun rise in the morning and set at night. Mommy? Who's that? But it wasn't too long before one night before bed she snuggled up in my lap and asked ME to read her a story... An unprecedented occurrence!
Every child goes through it. And both parent and child will come out on the other side... (We'll just have a few more grey hairs and wrinkles!!)
I know this feeling too. After the first kid did it to me at 15 months I said time to have another kid... which worked until that kid turned 18 months so i said time to have another kid sure enough #3 was a boy and boys love there momma's wrong at 20 months it was no longer momma he wanted. Even now i say buddy Daddy made your toast and he will eat it even though daddy is at work. I lie and it works. That is what i am reduced to! I will say this now the oldest is 7 and she loves me again as Momma gets it and momma is the awesome one now ;) It will come back to you just wait you will be the favorite again!
David Madrid Moo's avatar

David Madrid Moo · 588 weeks ago

Thanks for sharing.
We are living in global village. An educated person can face his life problems easily than an uneducated person. It removes darkness from a person’s life. It helps a person to lighten up his mind.

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