I can remember my own mother telling me that she was about to “hit the end of her rope”. I never really understood the analogy. But now, as a mother as well, I have found myself using the same words, and I am pretty sure it has something to do with the unravelling of nerves.
Yesterday, I hit my own metaphorical “ropes end”. After finally carving out some time to take a shower, I scrambled throughout the house frantically packing a bag so that my children would have everything they needed for their swim lessons. Suits…check. Towels…check. The goggles that fit just the way my older son likes them…check. My sanity…well…I don’t really use that anyway.
I grabbed the reusable shopping bags and my list since I was enlisting the help of my husband who would watch the kids swim while I did the grocery shopping. I hurried the kids out the door, and we were off to the YMCA. We arrived in time and even had a few minutes to spare. That is until we went to exit the car and I realized I had left the swim bag at home.
I had come to the end of my rope. It was a small, insignificant event that, in the grand scheme of things, really didn’t matter. My nerves were not concerned. I screamed and yelled like a child throwing a tantrum. My husband, who had just pulled in next to us, asked what was wrong. At that point it seemed like everything.
He sanely suggested we switch cars. He drove back home, got the swim bag, and returned to the YMCA for our older son’s lesson. I, on the other hand, had a complete meltdown in the parking lot. I sat in my car and sobbed. How had it gotten this bad? I was short with my kids all day, and they didn’t deserve it. I snapped at my husband, who, thankfully, has a much longer rope than I do. And I was reacting to everything instead of using my brain to act purposefully.
Other than a definite lack of sleep, I was not able to pin my lapse of sanity on any one thing. I took a deep breath (or two or three), bought a milkshake (because it makes me happy), and did the shopping. During that time, I was able to gather up my rope and make a personal commitment to not let my rope unravel so easily.
The great thing about ropes is that, when you hit the end, you can always roll it back up and start again. Today, my rope is a little dirty and worn. But it is still strong, and it is probably a few feet longer than it was yesterday.
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Written by Laura on December 5, 2011
It’s lunchtime, and there are four hungry children who were, just moments ago, playing blissfully outside and are now invading the quiet stillness of the house. How do you simmer the cries of, “Mom, we’re hungry!” and “Miss Laura, what are we having for lunch?” Easy. You turn the eating area into a diner.
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Written by Laura on November 16, 2011
It drives my husband crazy when someone says that my younger son is shy. He is quite an actor, and he can put on quite a show whenever he thinks he can get the attention. Personally, I believe this is why he will frequently pull out his “shy” act. This little skit stole the hearts of the ladies of our local ice cream shop one humid evening in July.
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Written by Laura on October 10, 2011
My son slowly entered the room. His head was aimed at the floor, yet his eyes were peering up at me. It was a look with which I am familiar. This posture always gives away the fact that my darling child has done something he was not supposed to do. He was hiding his hands behind his back which led me to believe something was broken, and he was about to reveal a precious item that was now in pi
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Written by Laura on September 30, 2011
My best friend has two little girls that are the same ages as my two boys. Both my friend and I pay very close attention to how much television our children are viewing. We also set strict boundaries on the types of shows our kids my watch. Even with all of these boundaries in place, ...
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Written by Laura on October 11, 2010
As parents, we have all had times where we know there is an area in our parenting skills that is being neglected. I have had times where I can feel my patience has been worn particularly thin. I have also dealt with bouts of constant raised voices. I often feel as though I should be developing some particular area of my sons’ lives. “We should be studying Spanish more” and &#
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Written by Laura on December 15, 2009
A few weeks ago, I was in the grocery store where my four-year-old, Brennen, decided to throw his loudest, most obnoxious tantrum of his entire short life so far here on this planet. It began when we were at the entrance of the store, and had to select the perfect grocery cart. This particular store has about four different types of carts from which to choose, including cars in several varieties
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Written by Laura on September 23, 2009
Learning to let your children develop their own personalities even if they are different from your own.
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Written by Laura on April 2, 2009
Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence to teach your preschooler the joy of reading and writing.
Sponsored by Bridges Reading & Writing Institute -- teaching the JOY of reading and writing to students in preschool through 12th grade.
