Worst Day in Parenting Evah

So, am embarrassed to say, I had my worst day in five years as a parent yesterday.

TW and The Girls had returned from a week's camping on Friday evening, so yesterday morning was given over to sorting and tidying. In my view, the house was in a fairly presentable state before they got home, and they arrived like a tornado, turning the house upside down within seconds.

So on Saturday, we organised. We tried to involve Tiger and Lion, asking them to put stuff in certain places. They either studiously ignored us, or resolutely responded 'NO'.

'Darling, can you take this sleeping bag upstairs and put it in our room, please?'

'NO.'

And so the day was set for niggles.

Then we went to a certain supermarket that rhymes with 'Nesco', where they cried, complained of being hungry, or thirsty, or tired, or not tired, or needing a wee. I had to take Lion out of the store and sit with her in the car for twenty minutes or so while she cried. It was a really exhausting, nerve-jangling outing, and I intend never to go to Durrington's Tesco store ever again.

But we survived, and got home and had lunch. Then the girls went out to play, which basically meant they stood in front of a neighbour's house, shouting 'J!', hoping to be invited in. J wasn't there, so basically they were looking like stalkers. We called them in several times and told them not to do that, but they persisted so I called them in and told them that was it.

So they then played upstairs, and this was when I lost my rag completely.

I went up to see what they were up to, and they had emptied a toiletries basket. Not such a big deal, I asked them to put all the stuff away and returned downstairs.

I went back upstairs a few minutes later to check they had tidied up, and found them smeared in Sudocrem. Tiger's hands were covered, and Lion's legs. It was all over their clothes and the carpet.

I saw red.

I raged at them, picked Lion up and threw her in to the bathroom, almost literally, and started hosing them down. Thankfully TW, who had been asleep, came up and sent me downstairs.

Away from the girls, I was sweating, my heart was racing, the adrenaline was up, I was in a bad way. I guess the day of needling and sniping and frustration all came together in that one situation.

I was disappointed - I expected them to know better, I guess. Certainly Tiger, who was five this Summer, who tried to blame it all on Lion. I could have quite happily put them all up for adoption yesterday.

Still, today's a new day, so let's hope for an improvement.

TTFN.