Tales from a Teacher-Mama

Sarah has some anger issues.

Recently, she got upset because one of the neighbor kids was trying to follow her into the house when she didn’t want him to. I told Sarah that the boy could come in for a minute, and that caused her to redirect her fury at me. She came straight at me across the room, eyes wide with rage, teeth clenched and bared, and her little fist cocked back. When she reached me, she actually punched me right in the mouth.

With my lips smarting, I stood and tossed the book I’d been reading on the floor. I pointed toward the stairs and told her to get to her room and stay there. She went, screaming all the way. Once upstairs she slammed her door a few times, calling down, “Hear this, Mommy?” as if I might have missed it.  She followed that act by throwing a couple of toys down the stairwell–generally in my direction–and shrieked, “That’s what you get for giving birth to me!”

I couldn’t help it–I laughed. She doesn’t have any idea how true that statement is.

When I left work on Friday, my birthday festivities were not over; I still had family fun waiting for me. Later in the evening, I took the girls to the bowling alley where Jeff bought me a drink while he finished his last game. We went home to presents before bed. Jeff got me new sheets and comforter for our bed, which I’ve been wanting for a while. Laura picked out a nice dress for me. And Sarah gave me two bags of Reese’s peanut butter cup miniatures (which she opened the next morning and ate before I was even out of bed).

I made a Nameless Cake (a family recipe that is sort of a spice cake frosted with a sort of mocha-y frosting) and chicken cacciatore. When Jeff got off work, my sister- and brother-in-law were already here for dinner. Despite Sarah being pouty through dinner, we had a nice meal and enjoyed the cake afterward. Tina and Rob gave me a cool picture frame that I’m already planning to fill and hang up. When they headed home, the girls and I played a little Rock Band–Sarah singing, Laura on guitar and me on drums–our own virtual Go-Go’s. I had fun stretching my birthday out over two days, thanks to my wonderful friends and family.