Busy with three kids? Who knew?

Being a parent is hard. And exhausting. And hard. Let’s just say it’s exhaustingly hard.

I thought when my kids were through the waking-up-six-times-in-the-night-for-food-or-a-diaper-change-or-the-room-is-one-degree-too-warm stage, I wouldn't be so tired. But I am. So. Tired.

Maybe it is because instead of having a crying baby who can’t quite articulate his or her needs and I have three very loud children who very clearly can.

“I want!” “I need!” “No fair!” “I’m hungry!” “Why?” “You’re mean!” (That’s a new one.) And lots of stomping of feet, yelling and door slamming.

And I’m trying so hard not to yell. I really am. Both my husband and I are trying SO hard. But it’s difficult. It’s tiring. It’s taking so many deep breaths I thinking I’m going to pass out sometimes.

But here’s the other thing – its working. Yes it’s hard – parenting is supposed to be hard. Yes, it’s frustrating – it’s supposed to be. They are tiny people who don’t quite know what they want or how they should act so they try out all kinds of personalities or “phases” on you before they morph into the adult you truly hope they can be.

We are going through a few phases in our house at the moment. With three kids ages 8, 5 and 4 it’s easy to hit a few. We have the fibbing phase (I don’t want to say lying because I can’t bring myself to call my cute little five-year-old a liar). We also have the can’t-make-up-my-mind-so-I’m-going-to-throw-a-fit phase, and we have the eye-rolling exasperated sighing of the almost pre-teen stage.

Needless to say there are a lot of feelings and a lot of tears in our little house. Oh, and the kids are an emotional roller coaster, too.

Most days it is pretty difficult to keep a level head through the whining, complaining, fibbing and eye-rolling. Some days I fail. OK, most days I fail, because moms have tough days too, gosh darn it! But some days, when the stars align just right and my third cup of coffee has given me an energy boost at just the right moment, I say the right thing and I don’t get an eye-roll! Or some words of wisdom actually come from MY mouth and miraculously seem to connect with the tiny person! I am able to find humor in the situation instead of frustration! The toys get cleaned up without me having to ask them!

Ok, that last one never happens, but maybe someday right? And that is what makes the frustration, the tiredness, the not yelling when you just want to jump out of your skin worth it. Those moments when you feel like you are not totally messing them up for the rest of their lives but actually doing something right. They may be fleeting but they are so worth it.

Yes, parenting is hard, but nothing that was worth doing and worth doing right ever came easy. Somebody famous probably said that, but I’m too tired right now to try and figure it out. And a cute four-year-old needs some juice …