Once I heard having four children is like cooking one thing on each burner of the stove all at once: one of the pots is always about to boil over.
I wore my shirt yesterday. I give it a lot of credit. I have to wonder if every time Princess turned to me to spout something foul-mouthed she saw the shirt and realized I had pre-won whatever argument she was about to try. Or, maybe the switch in her brain flipped. I don't know. But yesterday had some reprieve.
Peanut has always waited for Princess to take a break before presenting me with her "stuff." She is very in tune with what is going on around her, and I think she senses that I am emotionally unable to deal intensely with someone else when Princess is firing all her barrels. So guess who got our her guns yesterday?
Buddy couldn't figure out why Peanut was suddenly wigging out, so I told him that all the anger that's been in our house lately has been making Peanut feel uncomfortable and not quite safe, and now that it's quieter she needs to let out some of the yucky feelings that got in. Princess happened to be listening in. That, and some well-timed, "hmmm. It takes a lot longer to win people back that it did to get them to not play with you, doesn't it?" and a few, "I understand that; I feel sad for you that you feel you need to scream at me like that" whenever she tried a "I'm going to say I'm sorry even though I'm not so much, because that's what will get people to give me stuff again," seemed to have some effect. Or, at least they got heard.
So was it a day, or was it the start of an upward trend? Who knows? Who cares. At least I got a day. I got to steal almost the girls' whole session with Dr. S. And I found my sense of humor. It's all good.
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