Sooooo sick
Elsa and I are feeling a little better today, so there’s that. I thought I was going to just curl up in a ball and die yesterday. Not literally of course. But I felt pretty bad.
Until last week’s dead grandma situation I had not let the neighbor kids into my house. I knew the second they came in it would be all over. They have no boundaries at all (because of a really shitty home life) and I know that if something when wrong their mom would not hesitate to sue me (if she could come up with the funds).
Now that they know we have a fridge with water and ice in the door they are totally obsessed. They won’t quit knocking on my door, asking for water and ice. Even when I ask them nicely. Even when I ask them not so nicely.
If I leave my door unlocked, which I often do when Erik is outside because I’m not going to lock my kid out, they just walk on in and make themselves at home. Yesterday I cleared out Erik’s lunch bag so there was a whole pile of snacks that I bought for the plane ride that Erik refused to touch.
They started scarfing them down without even asking. I didn’t begrudge them the food and I would be ok with feeding them if they were really hungry (I know they do get food at home), but it was irritating that they didn’t even ask.
Then they just kept knocking and knocking and Elsa was trying to sleep and I was cranky and zombie like and they kept knocking and then the other neighborhood kids got in the act and I had twenty (ok, so only 7) kids hanging on my porch, knocking every other minute because they wanted ice.
There’s a fine line between being a nice person and helping traumatized children and being a door mat.
I don’t do well with kindness when I’m sick and my baby is sick.
Bah! And now my baby is crying so I guess I just get to whine and run.
Antropologa said,
September 24, 2010 @ 12:12 pm
Get better!
Sounds irritating with all the doorbell-ringing etc. Maybe when you are feeling better you can put your foot down when need be. Don’t want them to take all your ice!
bethany actually said,
September 24, 2010 @ 4:56 pm
Oh, NOT COOL. I mean, I feel sorry for kids who have crappy home lives but that does not mean they get to be annoying pests and knock on your door every five seconds. Maybe you should tell them, you only give out ice on weekends between 10am and noon, or something! I’m sorry they were bugging you, especially when you’re sick. 🙁 Feel better soon!
karooch (from Scraps of Mind) said,
September 28, 2010 @ 6:00 pm
You’re are right. There is a line to be drawn between being a nice person and being a door mat. The kids need to understand the idea of consideration for others or they will not deal well later in like. So I think putting some ground rules down is good for them as well as you. And it means they will have a better chance of having an ongoing relationship with you that’s positive. In the meantime, I hope you and the family have recovered from your sickness and are back on form again.