Monday, January 11, 2010

E-I-E-I-Oh-No...

I used to listen to the radio on my way to work every morning. I loved it. Depending on my mood, I'd listen to everything from the local DJs' off-color banter to National Public Radio to old school hip hop at full blast.

This morning, my listening choices were limited to two: Aidan Kai's incessant shrieks at full blast or my nasally voice singing "Old Macdonald" over and over and over and over again.

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if I could have at least jammed out with some variety...a little "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" mixed in with some rockin' "Pat-a-Cake." But no, it was just "Old Macdonald." That was all he wanted.

"More."

At the end of every barnyard round-up, I'd cheer wildly and pause and pray that he'd had enough and I'd be able to drive in my not-a-morning-person-especially-in-30-degree-weather mental state of mind. But no.

"More."

So I'd break into my most enthusiastic version of "Where is Thumbkin?" or "You Are My Sunshine," but no.

"No-no. No-no. Mooooooo. More."

Damn that farmer and his stupid cow.

So there I was...all 32 minutes of my drive in South Florida traffic on a Monday morning with record low temperatures. Me. Miss Don't-Fuckin'-Talk-To-Me-In-The-Morning-Cause-I'm-Too-Sleepy-To-Even-Be-Cordial...singing.

I guess I could've stopped. I could've just let him cry and scream. That's what Hubby would've done, I think. Not because he's mean, but because he's laid back, actually. As in: "Don't worry about it. Just leave him. He'll be fine after a few seconds." And he's right. Usually he'll fuss for a bit and then will stop when he's not getting any attention. I know this. I've done this. I've had a kid before, remember? I was pretty good at training that one. But this one? I don't know. Let's just say my second one's got a bit of an advantage. I'm much more tired now than I was with only one child, for starters. I'm also not quite as obsessive-compulsive over doing every single thing right and picking every single battle to fight. I've also realized most things are phases with kids, and no matter how tough they are, they outgrow everything, eventually. And let's just say that Aidan is less pliable than Ben was. Oh, yeah, and he's cuuuuuuuute.

So when the wailing started, and I looked at him in the rearview mirror...his dimpled chubby cheeks and pudgy nose all rosy from the cold, the rest of him completely enveloped by 3 layers of pajamas and a fleece jacket...I couldn't help it. One little song will calm him, I thought. And it did. It was like hypnosis. He just sat. Calm. Still. Content. Quiet...except for the repeated requests for more barnyard noises.

And so I sang. I mooo'd. I baaaa'd. I quacked. I neighed. At 7 in the morning. And if I hadn't been so busy trying to think of more animal sounds, I would've laughed. Yet another example of how motherhood changes you. I used to be cool. I used to listen to the radio in the morning. I used to say I'd never cater to my children. I used to say I could never (fill-in-the-blank) in the mornings.

But then I had kids.

I changed. Just like everyone else said I would. But not too much, not completely. Just enough, for them. And sometimes, for me. And sometimes, for that damned farmer.

Now everybody: "With a moo-moo here..."

12 comments:

  1. Ours was The Farmer In The Dell. At least Old McDonald teaches kids something. That dell song is pointless.

    I think it's awesome that we can evolve for our kids yet keep the core of who we are.

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  2. That was awesome! Our song is "This old Man"...I think i've sang that a million times. It's now become 2nd nature, that is singing. We sing more than we talk ;)

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  3. LOL! Liz! Too funny! We've all been there . . . until we discover Disney tapes (probably cd's now) and then we just pop those in and sing along or not. And God forbid should you pop them out when you *think* they are asleep/calm....

    The Pooh bear songs are STILL stuck in my head....about 13 years later!!!!!

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  4. Uhm sorry, but this made me laugh. I just saw in and well that could've be me, too. ;-)
    I'd prefer hip hop, too!

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  5. That's not one of my favorites either but I can certainly see the kid appeal. Kids love repetition as much as we hate it. LOL

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  6. I had a similar realization recently when Grace was eating something and made a funny face, clearly disliking something in her mouth. Without even hesitating I put out my open palm for her to spit it into. That's the key part, right? We don't even think twice!

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  7. Very funny Liz, I totally know where you are coming from.

    My second child gets his way way more than my first did, even when I try to be tough.

    I have spent this afternoon with him doing his own version of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now"....a song he has probably heard once his life....which possibly explains him singing the same 3 lines over and over and over and over and over........argghhhh!

    :)

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  8. Toddlergirl got VERY attached to a 19 minute long CD of action songs ... trust me that on a three hour car trip you go through that CD a LOT of times ...

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  9. We used to insist on listening to the cassette of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox in the car! Visiting from SITS :)

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  10. Oh my god, Miss D. was an Old MacDonald FREAK. That's all she wanted to sing for 6 months straight. I got so sick of clucking. Horrid.

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  11. Hang in there. In no time at all they will be all grown up and you can transition back into the "Rockin Mom".

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  12. This:
    "I know this. I've done this. I've had a kid before, remember? I was pretty good at training that one. But this one? I don't know. Let's just say my second one's got a bit of an advantage. I'm much more tired now than I was with only one child, for starters."

    And this:
    "I changed. Just like everyone else said I would. But not too much, not completely. Just enough, for them. And sometimes, for me."

    Jen and I are always talking about how everything changes with the addition of each new child. How much different we are now then when we had just one child. How different our kids are because of it. How different our reactions are.

    My patience is very limited and I have little fortitude for bending my children to my will. If it takes Old McDonald ten times straight, so be it. If it takes a lollipop at 6 am? I just might be game. 90% of the time. And before I was whomped by kid #3 I might not have admitted all the "terrible mommy things" I do now. But you know what? It's survival. I get through my days--I get my kids through our days--trying to elicit more smiles and less meltdowns. Sure, I stick to my guns on the most important things. Sure, I discipline (haven't you read all the posts lately on the SCREAMING IN MY HOUSE? AHHHH!). But lollipops at 6 am? Not gonna kill them and, more importantly, will give me time to sip my coffee and wake up enough to make a really GOOD mommy decision (whatever the hell THAT is)!

    This was a killer most. Much bigger than Old McDonald and exactly what we are always trying to get at. Motherhood changes us. A lot. But not too much. Sometimes just enough. And it changes as time goes on, as our kid gets older, and with the addition of each new child. It's rather remarkable that the changes don't seem to slow down, either.

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