BellaOnline Forums Family Moms Moms - what drives you crazy?

Saying "come back and get your dirty clothes and hang up your towel" after a shower.... every single time.


what drives you crazy?

When my children have computer time, and I give them the ten and then the five minute reminder.... and then they tell me they "just have to finish something" or they'll "lose what they've accomplished" or "can I just..."

it's the repetitive conversations...

The biggest one is having to tell my daughter something several times before she listens to what you said.

Whining.

I can take complaining, asking for something a million times, and even needing my undivided attention most of the day, but whining makes me pull out 1 hair at a time (lol).

Clare - that was going to be my next one! Just this morning, I instituted a "severe" consequence for failing to first-time respond.


I have to agree with the whining too. I can ignore it for only so long, and then it gets to me like fingers on a chalkboard and I burst!

I do the same sort of thing, Lisa. My daughter is only 3 and she gets a warning first. If it continues then things like TV goes off, toys get put away until she is ready to listen.

Whining is definitely another one, have to agree on that.

Not listening the first time? What is that? My kids don't listen until I am a raving lunatic (any heightened tone makes my girls swear I am yelling).

So, I too, for my sanity and the peace of the household, have had to make them take a break from the computer or tv if they cannot function in the midst.

In fact, my girls are not allowed to get on the computer or watch tv until they have cleaned their spaces. Remember that from when you were a kid? Some of the old tricks still work like a charm.

I do that too, Yvonnie. My children must put away their homework, pencils, etc. In fact, homework has to go back in the backpack. Then, they have to make sure they've done one thing to help out in the house, straighten up their rooms, and THEN they can go on the computer.

The computer thing is a big one for me. My husband is going to rig me a remote so I can turn off their computers when they don't listen to me.

How about : what should I do next? when getting ready in the morning
I've even made charts to "help" and they still ask me.

Mine are older now but what drove me the most crazy was when they used to fight all the time. ugh! I played referee, judge, jury, and counselor so many times, I should have been a professional.

I taught them how to negotiate and adjudicate their own squabble but now they are older and they get along great.

Lori - my mom repeatedly tells me that she "sat back" and let us work it out. I try so hard to do the same, but it doesn't always happen. I, too, cannot stand to hear the bickering and the inappropriate accusations and the getting all riled up for such a silly reason!

How about when you say to everyone - "ok. we're going to pick up the new glasses, make a quick trip to the grocery, and then will be home."
And then one after the other says "what are we doing, mom?" "are we going home after we get the glasses?" etc.

Even with four children, I think I sometimes have to repeat it 6 times until I finally say "everyone stop and look at me. This is what is happening...."

Ah, yes...the repeating, repeating, repeating, repeating, repeating. I had to do extra because I my daughter has a memory problem and my youngest was a special needs developmentally disabled child. My oldest just tuned me out half the time.

You know, I was holding my sister's grandkids and reminiscing about all the things I missed about my own children's childhood. I felt sad. Thanks for helping me remember the frustrating parts, too, so I can be thankful for the stage I'm in now! LOL.

Oh, about the refereeing: A friend of mine bought into the "let them work it out" philosophy and I told her it would be like the law of the jungle and only the strongest would win. PLUS, in the real world, if we adult could learn how to work it out, there would be no need for umpires, referees, lawyers and judges!

Moms need to oversee kids' arguments and fights.

ha! Glad we could help you remember the frustrating aspects of mothering.


I think "oversee" is the key word in what you said. We need to oversee the arguments and fights and help our children learn to resolve conflict appropriately (something many adults do not do and even model inappropriately for our children).

"This is what we are doing..." I finally stopped telling them. Since they like to know what is going on, they sometimes pay more attention the first time.

On bickering: Yes, that one sometimes irritates me. Mostly, at night it bothers me, because I am tired and I need peace to settle into sleep time. During the day, I prefer that they work it out because I just do not want to be involved and I know that it will give them skills for disagreements with others.

I have not seen the benefits just yet, but I'm sure they are occurring

How about - dad is in kitchen with children and, yet, they still come all the way across the house to ask me to get them ice for their water.


Or, child who is sitting next to dad at the dinner table still asks me to cut her food.

Oooh Lisa-

That's a good one. It happens everyday and yes, it drives me bonkers (lol).

How about when they ask you what the Dad will think about something and he is standing right there (me: "How about you ask him? He's standing right there.")

Only a mother's love...

tee hee.... I've got to start another thread - what warms our hearts.

Look for that one too!

I have young children, and what drives me crazy is how it sometimes can take 20 minutes for them to get in their car seats - I am standing in the rain, waiting to buckle them in, and they are stooped on the car floor looking at a piece of glitter or whatever! I have started standing on 1 leg, trying to balance during the time it takes so that at least I can work up some muscle tone or something while I wait!

Carolyn-

I love that! The image in my head is hilarious.

My kids too and inevitably, I am driving off and someone is still not in their seatbelt. I have gotten distracted or the older girls were supposed to belt the youngest and they got distracted.

Sometimes we are a three ring circus.

Carolyn - that is definitely on my list too!

Only we live in Arizona and - not only does the time lapsed buckling drive me nuts - but getting out of the car too - they take so long ... I can't tell you how many times I've said "c'mon! I really don't want to stand in this heat any longer than I have to."