"I know how you feel"

Every mother has had one of those days!

When you can't seem to get your act together and your kids are being impossible. When you are the mother of Carter "those days" seem to group themselves into weeks and months...pretty soon I'll have to look at other mothers and say "Oh, we're just having one of those decades!"

When I get stressed I cry, doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing. I'm not good at holding back the tears. One time in music class Carter was having a particularly nasty week and of course, the teacher picked that week to take a group photo.  He WOULD NOT sit with the other kids.  Naturally I started thinking there must be something seriously wrong with him...I broke down then and there!

It was at this depressing point in my day that another mother, who had twins a year older than Carter, took the opportunity to try and cheer me up...

First she said "I know how you feel."

This is normal motherhood speak for "Yeah, my kid kind of sucks sometimes too." Usually very appropriate comfort words for a fellow mom in distress.

As she was saying it, however, I happened to catch her son turning a musical instrument into a weapon and using it to beat his sister over the head.

Gee, thanks lady, but right now I really don't want to use your kid's behavior as the light at the end of my tunnel. See that little boy over there sitting quietly and listening to the teacher? Where the hell is HIS mom to tell me "been there, done that". Coming from her it might be encouraging.  Coming from you its...well, its not encouraging, let me tell ya.

The next part is my favorite.

She followed up her opening line with "...and it doesn't get any better as they get older."

Honest to God!

I felt like saying "Wow, are you some sort of therapist? If not you should be, cause, I mean, I suddenly feel SO MUCH BETTER!" Was I supposed to thank her for this little pep talk?

She should have just said "See my terrible children? Yours is gonna turn out just like that...and there's nothing you can do about it!"

I don't know if this motivational routine is something that she rehearsed, but I gotta say, it needs work.