Time for a time out

So I caught a video posted online today of a 30-something-year-old mom who had locked herself in her bathroom and taped herself explaining why she felt the need to take time out from her kids, as you could hear them and the dog outside her door. She could see the wild-eyed look on her face and the tension in her forehead as she eventually asked the camera, “Do you know why I was screaming and yelling and had to take a timeout?” Which then she held up two empty, plastic straw papers that stick to the back of juice pouches. “These!” she said, with her eyes opening so big she looked like she might start flipping out right there in the bathroom. Then she went to explain that every day she goes around her house and sees these little empty, plastic straw papers lying all over the floor. She asks her kids not to drink juice pouches but to get a cup of juice, and they never listen. And then….they leave the dumb straw wrappers all over for her to pick up. She asks how hard is it to walk 10 feet and throw them away, but no! Just chuck them on the floor, like who cares!

Watching her face and listening to the irritation and sarcasm in her voice made me laugh out loud as I could totally relate! I get it, Sister, 100% get it! Those stupid plastic straw papers are all over my house on a daily basis and I don’t even have little kids. What the heck? They throw the empty juice pouch away when it’s empty so why can’t they grab the straw paper too? And we also have giant containers of juice in the fridge that could be poured in a cup and drank, but no! We all need to suck down the box of juice pouches so there’s none left when we want to take a lunch to school or have to take a snack bag to a ball game. Makes no sense!

As I was watching the video and laughing out loud as I related to this angry mom, my middle daughter was listening and was quick to blame her little sister for straw papers and then tried to relate by adding her own annoyances about her sisters. I let her vent but she really has no idea how long my list is of little things that drive me insane in our house, and everyone single family member is guilty. As I was saying that, the list started forming in my head and felt myself wanting to voice them all out loud because of how extremely annoying they are! But I knew if I got started, I wouldn’t be able to stop and might end up having to give myself a time out in my own bathroom.

It was just nice to be reminded that as Moms, we all are doing our best but we’re still human and as much as we dearly love our families, they can drive us flat crazy and make us losing our ever loving minds over plastic straw papers, for Pete’s sakes, and sometimes we need to take a time out too!