If It Weren't for the Stinking Forest, I Might Get to See a Tree or Two

Wow... It's been a rather long time since I've posted. Been a bit busy, I have. Besides working a full-time job in a field that naturally over-works its employees (marketing), I'm primary caretaker for one of my granchildren. Those two things leave time for little else. And, gawd knows, there's a LOT of stuff I wanna do...

I have three absolutely beautiful grandchildren (and another on the way). They are my reward for letting my children live. They're kids, so they're inclined to do dumb things but, in all, they're great kids. I'm a bit envious... Not to mention proud as hell.

In the meantime, tho, I'm going through the mother-thing again with my as-yet youngest grandchild. She's beautiful, sweet, intelligent, funny, imaginative, ... and three. Need I say more? She skipped right over the "terrible twos" and dive-bombed into "tumultuous tyrannical threes." Face-planted there.

and I'm tired.

There's a reason child-rearing is left to the young. I used to think it would be better to have kids when you were older and wiser and had more patience.

Uh. No.

Stamina is much, MUCH more important than any of those things. You get used to things going along on your carefully crafted schedule and there's the cookie-cutter questions and responses that are uttered day after day hour after hour minute by minute for quite a while when the kid comes up with something like: "You know, that wasn't so bad."

Huh? Where'd you even *hear* that phrase? Surely you didn't string those words together by yourself.

or -- "Watch my lips..."

WHAT??!! Nanna says, "What did grandma say?" She *doesn't* say, "Watch my lips..." (I *want* to, but I don't.)

or -- "You can just GO AWAY!!"

Ok. I admit it. I've said that one. I just didn't think she was listening...

or, the one that makes all of us pause a moment -- "No."

Voice isn't raised; no angry gestures, just a calm matter-of-fact take-it-or-leave-it "no."

Maybe if I let *this* one live, too, *her* children will be amazing.... Oh, of course I love her -- don't take me so stinking seriously...!

What really sux, tho, is I can't blame my reaction or unreasonable compelling desires on post-partum depression.