I won't blame myself completely, because sometimes kids are naughty or completely don't listen the first three times so you have to raise your voice BUT I have found that if I'm on the ball, there's no need for me to be yelling "hurry up!" It's something to think about.
Since I'm up in the night with a baby, and tired, and he likes to be held while he naps, I like to lie down with Arthur in the afternoon. I can usually sneak away after a bit, but I get a little nap first. Sometimes this makes me grumpy. Particularly if the kids are noisy while I'm trying to sleep. But even more concerning is that it falls during a transition time, when the kids are getting home from school, and they need attention and things need to get done. Today I was feeding Arthur so I could run to Target and leave him with the babysitter, and when I went downstairs half an hour after the kids got home, Maggie hadn't even started homework. So it's an important time for me to be up and doing, but also a convenient time to nap.
Patience with Maggie, and less "bossing" seems to be helping. Getting up when Arthur wakes in the morning, and exercising if I have time, makes the mornings smoother. If only I were less tired in the afternoon. Just some observations.
Tue Feb 23 2016 21:38 Parenting 801:
Maggie has become queen of sass lately. I was reading some helpful articles on dealing with backtalk. Then this article showed up in my feedly.