The Daily Witching Hour of Parenthood

I have been a working 7-3 mom, a working 7-5 mom, a part time working mom of a few hours a day or only 2 days a week (summer schedule), and I've been able to be a stay at home (again a few weeks here and there throughout the year), and it does not matter which working or staying at home I am around 6:00 at night I have learned is the witching hour of parent hell in my house.


The kids all of sudden cannot wait for dinner and want me to eat me out of house and home with their demand for more snacks. Then it's more  milk, more water, open this, whoops I spilled this, yogurt is all over the kitchen floor again, they put their food or drink down and now the cat or dog is eating or drinking it, now they're crying hysterically because the cat or dog took their food, now I have to clean this up, soothe tears, make them yet another drink or a tie them over snack so they'll just get out of my hair so we can get the table cleared off and dinner on the table. Dinner is usually the eye of the storm. Besides playing the bribe game to get my two year old to eat, we laugh, share stories of the day, and relax to enjoy each other's company.


Then after dinner the chaos of the storm picks up again. I'm trying to do dishes, he's trying to get them in the tub but there must be something exhilarating about running around the house naked, so then it's catch the naked girl and get her in the tub. Before I can finish all the dishes and getting at least the kitchen and the living room back together they're finished with their bath running naked again, asking me to put their jammies on them. Then even though the little one's clothes are too small for the big one she insists that they share clothes for the night and wear each other's so then I have to convince them they're not at the age yet to share clothes. Then between trying to get them to brush their teeth, comb their hair, and get in bed we have to go look for a lost teddy, one of us half the time takes a spill on the wet bathroom floor so more tears (hopefully not mine) have to be cleaned up, we have to find the cat to try to convince her she's going to sleep with the girls for the night, if we have work/school the next day it's the preteen debate over what the five year old wants to wear. Once they're finally tucked in for the night I hope, it's damage control on the bathroom that has bathwater everywhere, bath toys from the toilet to the tub, toothpaste smeared on the vanity, and mouthwash and toothpaste spit all over the sink. I get the last of everything cleaned up, think I'm going to shower and have a moment to myself and one needs a drink of water, that wasn't the right bear, am I going to stay upstairs because they're scared, and the concerns and the wants just keep coming.


Working mom, stay at home mom, part time working mom, either way I have decided the hardest working part of any woman's day is dinner prep to past bedtime when hopefully they FINALLY go to sleep! Love them but I swear that stretch of time, probably because no matter what it's the end of the day and we're tired and grumpy, is the test of motherhood stamina.

"What do you mean I'm not suppose to put sissy's lip gloss in my hair after bath? I was just trying to style it, Mom"

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