Perspective

Kimberly has been having some issues lately. She's just not listening when Jeff and I give her instructions to do something. Like I tell her to brush her teeth, only to realize that she got sidetracked on the way to the bathroom and has spent the last 20 minutes making a fort in my bedroom with my comforter. Or when we are doing homework, she has these timed math worksheets where she has 2 minutes to complete a page of addition problems. I set the timer for her and go out of the room to change the baby. When I come back, she is staring out the window with a lollipop in her mouth and only 5 problems done on her page and the timer is buzzing. She forgets to bring her homework home. Then last night the child FORGOT TO EAT HER DINNER! Jeff ordered pizza so when we got home from soccer practice, it was just a free for all. We didn't sit at the table together. I personally sat in the recliner to nurse the baby and eat at the same time and the kids ran off into the dining room. I assumed that they um...ate while they were in said dining room. Instead Kimberly colored 2 pictures for Jeff to take to his office, and then 2 pics for me. She said they were presents. How cute! And thoughtful! What a dear sweet child.

After awhile we tucked in the kids. Ahhhh, silencio! Then Kim comes out crying and saying, "I didn't eat dinner yet!". Sure enough on the dining room table was her plate with 2 slices of uneaten pizza. To this I ask, 'what the fuck?'. How do you forget to eat? At dinner time? When the food is right in front of you? At the dining room table? I kind of flipped out. Just the culmination of all these flakey things she has been doing lately just pushed me over the edge. I sent her to bed without any dinner. I was just so done.

Then I started watching The Biggest Loser and one of the women on there was being drilled by Jillian (love that badass chick!). The woman was crying and talking about 'losing everything'. Jillian stopped her workout and asked her how she lost everything. The contestant then told the story about how she had a husband, a beautiful red headed 5 year old daughter and a little blonde haired blue eyed 9 month old baby boy. One day they dropped her off somewhere, she kissed them goodbye and then 5 miles down the road they were all killed in a car accident. My heart literally ached when I listened to this story and then it broke into a million pieces when I could hear Kimberly quietly crying in her room because her mean mother sent her to bed without dinner.

In the grand scheme of things, who gives a flying flip if my 7 year old is irresponsible. I know the only reason it drives me batty is because she is just like me. And I want her to be better than me and to not struggle because she inherited my awesome disorganization skills. I called Kim downstairs, warmed up her pizza and held her in my lap while she happily chewed with her mouth open. That's another thing that drives me nuts...the fact that she is completely unaware at how loud she is when she eats. Just like her father. But I just thanked God above and my lucky stars that in my arms I held this wonderfully annoying child. How lucky am I?