Mama Pet Peeves — Join the Purge!

By Monica Cravotta  |  Published: Tuesday, March 9, 2010

*  Nipple twiddling, pinching and biting.  Always a good time.

*  The Double Cry (for parents of more than one you know what I mean…I can only imagine the Triple Cry).

*  The desperate need of a toddler to have something seemingly small be a certain way.  And each of these needs accompanied by intense, tear-filled despair:

“But I wanted to put the lid back on!!”

“Noooooooo!  I want the GREEN bowl!!”

“But Mama I don’t like that kind of noodle!!”

* When we’re all together (Mom, Dad, 3 year-old and 1 year-old): the inability to have an adult conversation. To even finish most sentences.

* Baby rapidly flinging and throwing food before I can prevent it.

* Dirty fingernails. I know. Random and petty.  But that’s why they call them “pet” peeves right?

* Walking into Casa de Luz (an Austin seat-yourself vegan restaurant that we frequent) alone with my two Littles — one that needs to be carried and the other that needs to be watched — and experiencing a room filled with people absentmindedly half-watching me while I attempt  to get the stuck high chair out off the top of the stack and awkwardly walk with it to a table while holding baby and no one feeling inspired to offer a hand.

* Reliving the college experience without the fun freedom perks: intense sleepless nights like studying for finals — but “finals week” lasts for three years and there is no sleeping in. Ever. Eating a lot of beans and rice because we can’t afford anything else. Feeling hungover all the time without the good-time alcohol buzz that should precede it. And being in a perpetual state of learning something new the hard way.

* When people say, “You look tired.”  How do I respond to that?  Usually with a smile and a simple, “Yep, you nailed it!”  What I’d like to say is, “Glad to know I look hot — thanks for noticing! It’s been so fun sleeping and showering and exercising and primping lately!”

*  Floor level merchandising directed at children.  The local master at this: Book People. Their children’s book section is on the second floor. Each step leading to the second floor has on it a different, random, completely unnecessary, but visually and texturally appealing to a child, thing.  Highly irritating to me. The last time we were there my 3 year-old picked up one of the balls and threw it down the stairs. I watched as it bounced all the way down and then flew past one of the employee’s heads at the bottom of the stairs.  The employee gave me a shaming look that said, “Why don’t you have better control of your child?”  And I slammed him back with my newly assertive, post HBAC look that said, “Are you kidding me? Your store created this, Asshole.”

* People who have a problem with public breastfeeding, people who think violence is the best way to raise a child to be respectful, and people who think being a Stay At Home Mom is mindless, easy work.

There! Feels good to get the oogies out as I like to say.  That was almost as satisfying as going out on a long run which is 100% in order today because it’s 75° and sunny in Austin today — Woo-hoo!

Any other mamas feel like adding to the Attachment Mama Pet Peeve list — I welcome it.

Posted in Mama Peeves | 14 Comments

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