Monday, August 08, 2005

Sibling Rivalry

My children have spent the entire summer fighting. All day long it is a litany of complaints and demands. I'm real tired of it. But the sibling they seem to have the most trouble with is the one on my PC.

It never fails, as soon as I sit down to write, they pop up like rapid prairie dogs, tattling or asking for something. My five year old, seeing me with my eyes glued to the screen, will start up a conversation about totally inane things with the only goal being to distract me. My son will come down and ask me how to play a certain computer game or tattle on his sister. The two year old is more insistent. She climbs on my chair and clings to my throat.

Why are they so jealous of the time I spend on my WIP? They don't bother me if I'm doing something else on the PC, but it seems like they have a sense when I'm writing. Perhaps it is my beleaguered imagination, but I don't think they like the idea mommy has something of her own that does not center around them. My husband has said he doesn't like me to write at night when he is home. I can live with that. But my kids do not have that say in my life. I'm hoping as they get older they understand.

I think being a stay-at-home mom has created a situation. They have me here 24/7 and being the centers of the universe they are, they honestly see me as their private property. They own me like they own their toys or anything else. In their mind, my life should revolve around them. Do they ever grow out of this?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know if they ever grow out of it, but I can see it happening to my own children. They drag their toys from their rooms and into the office where I'm working. They start talking to me. My son says, "I want to sit on your lap" while my daughter tugs at my legs, demanding she wants up. It's tough because part of me wants to scream--Back! Back! Back to your rooms! while the other reminds me that they're only little once.

Anonymous said...

It is hard to write when they are little. Though...it goes so fast. I no longer have them under my feet(on my lap, in my hair, climbing up my back *g) when I write. I ALMOST miss it.

Do what you can. Maybe ask your dh for one night a week you can write and he watches the kids, and a couple of hours on the weekend. Or if he's one of those "sit with me while I watch TV" males, take a notebook and write long hand on the couch...

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

That's the hard part when you have your kids not wanting you to write during the day and your husband not to want you write during the night. I would never tell anyone how to live their life-LOL! But that was happening to me and I wasn't getting my book written.

Someone told me either get up early (before the kids) or stay up late (after hubby goes to bed). I couldn't get up early and half the time I'm dragging at night from taking care of the kids all day, but I've decided to slip in bits of time during the day and stay up later until my eyes droop. =)

I hope you find a solution that works for you!

Anonymous said...

My boys are in middle school and it still hasn't stopped. And yes, they always start up with the trouble just when I start writing.

LoryKC said...

I DO stay up past the time my eyes droop but that isn't the most effective time to write either!

My kids can sense when I am working on the WIP OR my blog. Somehow if I'm folding laundry up here, they never find me!
Hmmmm....perhaps I should sit on the laundry basket and work!!

Otherwise, I'm TRYING to be patient. School starts again here next week and my son will start preschool then as well. So if I can just hold out nine more days...

Melissa Amateis said...

I've had a break from the sibling rivalry since both stepsons have been gone and it's just my daughter. Oh, it's been NICE. But that will last only about another five days.
Someday you will long for these days...or not. ;-)