Posted on 07/26/2006 7:17:10 AM PDT by carlo3b
Sorry, but my children bore me to death!
by HELEN KIRWAN-TAYLOLR, Daily Mail 08:00am 26th July 2006It's the start of the summer holidays, when millions of mothers despair at how to entertain their children for the next six weeks. What none of them dare say is that they would rather their children were still at school or, frankly, anywhere else. Helen Kirwan-Taylor, a 42-year-old writer, lives in Notting Hill, West London, with her businessman husband Charles and their sons Constantin, 12, and Ivan, ten. Here, she argues provocatively that modern women must not be enslaved by their children.
The lies started when my eldest son was less than ten months old.
Invitations to attend a child's birthday party or, worse, a singalong session were met with the same refrain: 'I would love to but I just can't spare the time.'
The nanny was dispatched in my place, and almost always returned complaining that my son had been singled out for pitiful stares by the other mothers.
(snip) Kids are supposed to be fulfilling, life-changing, life-enhancing fun: why was my attitude towards them so different?While all my girlfriends were dropping important careers and occupying their afternoons with cake baking, I was begging the nanny to stay on, at least until she had read my two a bedtime story. What kind of mother hates reading bedtime stories? A bad mother, that's who, and a mother who is bored rigid by her children.
(snip) Am I a lazy, superficial person because I don't enjoy packing up their sports kit, or making their lunch, or sitting through coffee mornings with other mothers discussing how Mr Science (I can't remember most of the teachers' names) said such and such to Little Johnny and should we all complain to the headmaster.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
What a selfish person she is. My summers are too short with my kids. In a mere 2 weeks my kids go back to school. I have such fun with them, I can't imagine dreading spending time with them. :(
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3
[Why did she have children at all?]
Two possibilities:
1) Forgot to make the abortion appointment
2) Her friends had kids and she needed to prove something
Read "I love you forever" or "The giving Tree." You will become a puddle, the tears will be falling so quickly. :)
Boy am I glad she's not my mom. I'd hate to read about myself in the paper that way. Plus who cares- shut the he** up and DEAL. What a whiner.
She loves when I get her clothes, but it's getting harder and harder to find things that are cute and trendy and not skanky. I mean, come on, hip-huggers for little girls??? They don't even have hips!
Tell me about it........my daughter is 8 and finding clothes for her is getting more and more difficult.
I agree!
Be fair; not just ANY shoes. Carrie usually rewarded herself with a new pair of Manolo Blahniks. :)
Bless you for what you're doing. What's happened to American women? I hope your generation begins to speak out. I also hope your ex-daughter-in-law doesn't go into pediatrics.
Dewey, Cheatham And Howe?
Boy you would have hated the columns that show was based on -- they've been sweetened up considerably for TV.
No, you are not superficial because you don't enjoy it. You are superficial because you think everything is supposed to be for your enjoyment.
You missed watching Godzilla® movies and wrestling in slow motion with your kids when they're 4 or 5? And teaching them to melt plastic army men with a magnifying glass? And giving lessons on how to approach and treat animals? A lot of fun stuff comes early on. If you wait until they are 10 you miss it.
I stand corrected.
I guess I was talking more of the family dynamics. The mother is of extreme importance in the younger years, the father is of extreme importance in the later years (see inner city for negative example).
But you're right. Wrestling in slow motion is a blast.
What a beautiful baby!
The picture of him smiling in his sleep is precious!
I confess that just last month my husband and I took a trip without the kids and I enjoyed it very much and didn't miss them a bit.
I spend a lot of time with my kids and love them to pieces! Sometimes they irritate me, and sometimes I pretend to be interested when I'm not. But most of the time I really like being with them. They are funny and have interesting ideas. I can't imagine missing one of their games or performances!
It's actually quite sad that this woman cannot enjoy her children.
LOL!! My two boys were born 6 years apart. With the little one, my husband often mentioned strapping a weight to his head to discourage him from walking.
"There are actually a few commercials on the same theme. There was a Famous Footwear radio spot a few years back that went on about how wonderful it would be when the kids go back to school. I hated it when that commercial came on."
I must admit...I DO feel that way when September comes around. There are days when the kids are whining and fighting all day during the summer, and at the end of those days I can sound an awful lot like the author of this article.
But I get over it after I get some sleep and I chalk up my bad attitude towards exhaustion, and I try again the next day.
There is a middle ground....our children can fit into our adult lives, and we adults can fit into their lives.
We love them, encourage them, teach them, and spend time with them...but there are also times when parents have to do things for themselves or else they will go insane.
It doesn't sound like this author has seen there can be a middle ground. She seems to have taken a "us vs. them" approach.
Very sad.
I couldn't agree with you more, to no ones surprise, because I will alway respect men who enjoy being around children, not just our own, but all children..
I talk about my life with my kids often, and I guess the poor folks on my food and family ping list have to endure my endless prattle about my life as a single dad.. But, that is why I can understand your concern about being around other peoples kids.. What a shame, I had 3 or more kids in my home almost every day, especially around meal times..
I hoped it was because it was my cooking, but I know it was more, it was because I was a dad that they were comfortable talking to and joking with, and who loved just being a dad..
My last boy is now going off to college, to make his own footprints, and someday emulate his upbringing, and be a dad to his kids.. His absence will be deafening, but I have the love of my other 4 kids and my fabulous grandchildren who live close by..
So ride your bike my FRiend, and be a great adult hero to the young'ins while you can, it passes sooooo quickly.. Thanks for listening.. :)
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