Vying for Attention
I get it. People like attention. I LOVE attention. I don't even want to get into all the [now] mortifying times that I have done really stupid things to get people's attention. I even knew that I was being annoying most of the time, but now that the tables are turned, I realize how annoying vying for attention from someone can be to the person you are trying to get the attention from.
I knew that having two kids would result in some competition. There has been some level of competition since the beginning of this two kid era so there is nothing new in this situation. However, I did say that I was going to try to post more so this just happens to be the subject of today's post.
And to get things straight, it isn't just my kids that are hungry for being the center of my attention. The pooch is in on it too. I can't blame her. For the first seven years of her life she pretty much had all of my attention.
After I get the kids up in the morning, it is the pooch who tries to steer my attention in her direction first. I am trying to get two kids into their seats at the table and despite the fact that she was just outside to do her business, she stands by the back door, stares at me and screams, "HEY MOM!! I NEED TO GO OUT NOW!!" (Of course all of this is communicated telepathically and in dog language but I get it because I am telepathic and I speak dog.) Every single morning I tell her, "You will just have to wait to go outside because I am busy right now." (She knows English and totally gets what I am saying.) Sometime during the 20 seconds it takes me to get two kids strapped into their chairs she loses interest in wanting my attention... err... going outside... and sulks away and hides the majority of the rest of the morning in an attempt to punish me for not catering to her needs immediately.
Then I am pretty much left to deal with sibling rivalry among my human children the rest of the day.
Will brings me a book to read. Then Marcus insists that I read his book. I do my best to get two kids on my lap and alternately read one page from each of their books until I am done. Marcus gets very irritated at this because I should be reading HIS book and HIS book alone and spends most of the time trying to push Will off my lap while grunting and pointing at his book. Will decides reading a book really isn't worth all the trouble so he leaves to find something else to do. Marcus realizes that he can have all my attention to himself but really all he wanted anyway was for me not to have all my attention on his brother so he takes his book and finds something else to do.
I pick up one kid, the other one wants up.
I give one kid a drink, the other one wants one.
I show the slightest bit of interest in what Will is involved in. Marcus yells to me from across the room, "Help!!" while pointing around aimlessly for something that he might possibly need help with.
I show the slightest bit of interest in what Marcus is involved in. Will yells to me from across the room, "Away! Away!" while flashing a little piece of fuzz he found on the carpet to me and waits for me to encourage him to throw it away.
I tickle one kid, the other kid tackles his brother, drags him out of the way, and comes in for some tickles.
A grand total of once a week Greg and I try to watch a television show in the evening while the kids are playing. It is a show recorded on our DVR so there is always the option of rewinding and pausing or just stopping the thing if the kids really do need our attention. Like magic, as soon as my eyes are focused on that TV, over comes the kids waving books in my face chanting, "BOOK! BOOK! BOOK!" Due the high volume level produced by two small children, we usually keep the closed captioning on during our TV viewing so we don't have to attempt to drown out the kid volume with excessive TV volume. A few weeks ago I attempted to trick Marcus into thinking that I was reading his book by reading the closed captioning on the screen in hopes that I could still follow the storyline. Greg was amused. Marcus was mad. I guess I forgot that after reading the same book to Marcus approximately 800 times a week he probably knows what words I am supposed to be saying.
The good side of all this is for all of my friends and family. It doesn't look like I will be actively seeking out your attention and behaving in my irritating and suffocating fashion anytime soon. I am getting plenty of attention these days from a couple of cute kids and one big furry dog.
I knew that having two kids would result in some competition. There has been some level of competition since the beginning of this two kid era so there is nothing new in this situation. However, I did say that I was going to try to post more so this just happens to be the subject of today's post.
And to get things straight, it isn't just my kids that are hungry for being the center of my attention. The pooch is in on it too. I can't blame her. For the first seven years of her life she pretty much had all of my attention.
After I get the kids up in the morning, it is the pooch who tries to steer my attention in her direction first. I am trying to get two kids into their seats at the table and despite the fact that she was just outside to do her business, she stands by the back door, stares at me and screams, "HEY MOM!! I NEED TO GO OUT NOW!!" (Of course all of this is communicated telepathically and in dog language but I get it because I am telepathic and I speak dog.) Every single morning I tell her, "You will just have to wait to go outside because I am busy right now." (She knows English and totally gets what I am saying.) Sometime during the 20 seconds it takes me to get two kids strapped into their chairs she loses interest in wanting my attention... err... going outside... and sulks away and hides the majority of the rest of the morning in an attempt to punish me for not catering to her needs immediately.
Then I am pretty much left to deal with sibling rivalry among my human children the rest of the day.
Will brings me a book to read. Then Marcus insists that I read his book. I do my best to get two kids on my lap and alternately read one page from each of their books until I am done. Marcus gets very irritated at this because I should be reading HIS book and HIS book alone and spends most of the time trying to push Will off my lap while grunting and pointing at his book. Will decides reading a book really isn't worth all the trouble so he leaves to find something else to do. Marcus realizes that he can have all my attention to himself but really all he wanted anyway was for me not to have all my attention on his brother so he takes his book and finds something else to do.
I pick up one kid, the other one wants up.
I give one kid a drink, the other one wants one.
I show the slightest bit of interest in what Will is involved in. Marcus yells to me from across the room, "Help!!" while pointing around aimlessly for something that he might possibly need help with.
I show the slightest bit of interest in what Marcus is involved in. Will yells to me from across the room, "Away! Away!" while flashing a little piece of fuzz he found on the carpet to me and waits for me to encourage him to throw it away.
I tickle one kid, the other kid tackles his brother, drags him out of the way, and comes in for some tickles.
A grand total of once a week Greg and I try to watch a television show in the evening while the kids are playing. It is a show recorded on our DVR so there is always the option of rewinding and pausing or just stopping the thing if the kids really do need our attention. Like magic, as soon as my eyes are focused on that TV, over comes the kids waving books in my face chanting, "BOOK! BOOK! BOOK!" Due the high volume level produced by two small children, we usually keep the closed captioning on during our TV viewing so we don't have to attempt to drown out the kid volume with excessive TV volume. A few weeks ago I attempted to trick Marcus into thinking that I was reading his book by reading the closed captioning on the screen in hopes that I could still follow the storyline. Greg was amused. Marcus was mad. I guess I forgot that after reading the same book to Marcus approximately 800 times a week he probably knows what words I am supposed to be saying.
The good side of all this is for all of my friends and family. It doesn't look like I will be actively seeking out your attention and behaving in my irritating and suffocating fashion anytime soon. I am getting plenty of attention these days from a couple of cute kids and one big furry dog.
posted by Annie and Greg @ 12:25 PM
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