Better every day

Even when we have a fight these days, it's not bad. It's just typical married couple horseshit. Yesterday the cable modem at our house stopped working. Grrr... I can't deal without my Internet, especially since our phone is through the cable modem as well. So I called the cable company on my cell phone. I was already irritated because I was trying to look something up when I realized the modem wasn't working, and then I had to deal with the "automated service assistant" that our cable company has installed on their phones. It's a really frustrating way of trying to resolve a problem, especially when you just want to talk to a person.

So, since I was already ticked off at the situation in general, when the Boychild decided to "help" and generally climb all over the things I was working with, I snapped at him. I yelled at him and grabbed his hand and pulled him away from what I was trying to do. He, being almost 3, threw himself on the floor and started screaming like I was beating him. To be clear, I do NOT beat my child. While we are of the opinion that some things deserve a spanking or a slap on the hand, this was not even that situation. He was just pushing his limits. Hubby asked what happened to Boychild, and I told him that I moved him away from what I was doing and why. He got louder asking exactly what was wrong with the Boychild, and why didn't I ask for help like we decided I would in situations like that. Meanwhile, the Boychild is screaming, Hubby is yelling over the top of him, and I am STILL trying to make a phone call on my pay per minute cheap ass cell phone. I was beyond irritated and working my way to pissed with the entire situation. And then Dad came out of his room yelling about how he was trying to get some sleep and we all needed to shut the f*ck up.

So I stopped. I hung up the phone deciding the call could be made when things calmed down. I apologized to Hubby for not asking him for help, and not telling him first thing that Boychild was not hurt and he was just throwing a 3 year old's tantrum. He apologized in turn for not realizing that I needed help when the Boychild started getting in the way. He said as soon as he saw that he was bothering me he should have taken him outside. We both apologized to Dad for not respecting him enough to keep it down while he was trying to sleep.

Then we both took the Boychild out back, and while he played on his toys and ran around and got some of his energy out, we talked. We talked about the situation at hand first, and the mistakes that we both made. About how easy it is to lose patience with a little one, and how we need to be able to support each other. And about how we both need to actually ask for a hand when we need it. Then we just talked like the old friends we are about life in general. We spent a good couple hours out there in the backyard. A married couple watching their baby play, and playing with him in the backyard. Making a genuine effort to improve their lives every day, for him.

By the end of the night, all was well. The Boychild was comfortably asleep by 9:30 and we were watching TV with Mom which is always fun.

I am really quite proud of us.