Don't make promises you can't keep...karma will get you at 5am!!!
Today started like any other day, but it was not to be so...
As anyone with children knows, the best laid plans can go awry in an instant. Thus one should not promise things unless they are positive they can deliver.
We have entered week two of the school holidays and as such the children are in crazy mode.
With no set routine my darling Master 6 does not cope well. Having ASD means he is very set in his ways and when we don't get up and head to school as per usual he starts to get unsettled.
We combat this in a number of ways. Leading up to the holidays we remind him how many days he has left, constant reminders through the holidays of what we have planned and when so as not upset the delicate balance of his world.
This also means not changing plans that have already been announced and not saying one thing and doing another. Last year we had a 2 hour upset episode after a TV recording failed to work, so as you can imagine. We take these rules very seriously.
But today I made a mistake. Not in the organisation of things, no, just poor time management. I screwed up. I made a promise. A promise that I soon came to realise I may have to break.
Master 6 received some new therapy equipment last week and he has been begging me to construct it for him. I stupidly promised him that today was the day. But like I said, the best laid plans...
Everything was fine, I planned on putting up the climbing frame he has received on the afternoon as I had errands to run in the morning. I had checked the box and instructions. It would require two people and 1 and half hours.
It lied. Maybe if the two people constructing the frame were very flexible engineering graduates with and insane amount of patience, it may have taken 1 and a half hours. Although I highly doubt it.
After 1 hour of just sorting out the pieces and trying to grasp the instruction manual. We managed to get one section together. I then lost my partner in crime as someone had to tend to the six little monkeys who had been staring at us through the back door since we started our "little project" and chaos had started to descend.
To be honest I was surprised that they had lasted that long. Sitting watching their parents slowly go insane whilst trying not to throw pieces of steal across the yard in frustration had obviously been quiet entertaining.
So it was down to me! One woman, 50 plus pieces of steel and nuts and bolts, one useless instruction manual and a single face left staring out the window waiting for mummy to deliver on her promise.
As I continued my epic battle the sun began to set. The realisation that an epic meltdown may be in the works only spurred me on.
So I did what any reasonable person would do. I tossed the manual and just started bolting pieces together. I mean come on, if I can get six kids dressed, fed, bags packed, lunches made and dropped to three different schools every morning in under two hours I could damn well get this frame assembled.
Four hours later and one very embarrassing 20 minute period where I was in fact stuck under said frame and I was nearly done.
Just one bolt to go.
Then my cockiness got the better of me.
I dropped the nut or as the stupid manual refers to it "Fa4 (M8)" I mean seriously people just call it a nut!!!
So here I am on my hands and knees in the grass feeling around for the one last piece of the puzzle.
The piece that means the difference between being able to walk back into my house head held high and tell Master 6 that his frame is ready or having to explain that we may have to head to the local hardware store before he can so much as look at it.
I stood in defeat, staring at the frame from hell as the last six pieces fell off to the side and prepared myself for the worst.
Two steps towards the door I bent down to collect the pitiful excuses for tools that came in the box and there it was. I was saved. I had never been so excited to see a Fa4 (M8) in my life.
I was done.
I walked back inside to my now burnt dinner and sat down with Master 6. I expected the worst when I told him that he had to wait til morning to play. But my excruciating four plus hours spent cursing and crawling around on the ground had obviously not escaped his attention. He simply said "That's ok mummy." "I can play on it in the morning, before breakfast."
Relieved and I must admit slightly annoyed that I hadn't just given up til morning given his very calm reaction, I made my SECOND mistake of the day.
"Of course you can." I replied.
What, wait.
What did I just agree to in my frazzled state.
That right, this mum has to be up and outside at the crack of dawn, as promised.
And on that note. It's time for a glass of wine for this mumofmany!
Source: rebloggy.com
Source: allwine.ge
Fulfilling promises are essential imo to a healthy relationship, but thankfully I've never come across an issue with the promises I make...part because I know how important it is, part because they'll hold you to it.
But hey, I don't mind a wake-up scream at 6am telling me to "WAKE UP" so we can go do (X), like you probably will be getting shortly...or well you probably already got :)
It just means I'll have an early morning and a good nights rest then next day...hopefully.
Yea! B4 making any promises, one needs to think it tru, n if it has to b made, one has to b committed to fulfilling the promises...
Very true
That makes me so glad that my spectrum child has some degree of flexibility XD (hes fine with changes of plan iff you give him warning otherwise cue melt, occasionally
bribingexplaining/reminding about the cool thing we're going to helps but not always XD)I must admit, on occasion we have been able to avoid it. But it 100% depends on how he sees the situation.
Please see your post mentioned here: https://steemit.com/curation/@steemwizards/steemwizards-new-curation-trail-day-2
Loved reading this
Thank you
I could just imagine you at the end of that 4 hours thinking you lost the Fa4 (M8) 😂😭😂😭 Good on you for getting it done Mum!
So.... What time did "before breakfast" end up being?
WEL he tried at about 5.30, but it was even to cold for him! Win for mum
Haha thank god for winter!!
You're a legend! Thank heavens you and @krystle got the construction genes... I can't assemble a salad! Make sure you bring the rest of that wine with you when you drop the kidlets off for their second school holiday sleep over tomorrow, I may need fortification...
Consider it done
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A well-earned glass of wine!