Today I'm Debbie Downer

My Happiness Commandment #4 is “Have Fun” or “Be Silly.” It’s really embarrassing, but I’ve found that it’s one of the commandments I really have to remind myself of regularly, because I’m kind of anxious by nature.

If you’re a parent, you know you’re better at parenting when you can be silly. The days you can be lighthearted and joke around are the days you feel like you’ve got this parenting thing in the bag.

And right now, I’m not that lighthearted, silly, joking kind of mama.

Today, I’m that oh-my-gosh-my-corporate-taxes-hafta-get-done-ASAP, geez-I-just-rear-ended-the-car-in-front-of-me, why-does-my-dog-keep-throwing-up?, oops-we’re-out-of-juice, do-I-really-have-no-clean-socks?, why-is-my-upstairs-neighbor-constantly-vacuuming?, I-just-can’t-begin-to-eke-out-a-grin-today kind of mama.

Frankly, the current me is a drag.

Poor Flanna has been very patient with me. While I, on the other hand, have pretty much not been patient at all. Ugh.

But amazingly,

Luckily,

(Thank heavens!)

My husband came home in time to put Flanna to bed today! And right now, he’s in the bathroom with her, getting her into her PJs, and singing the silliest song ever with her. It’s called, “I’m still here in the bathtub,” from a neat kid’s book by Alan Katz.

These are the days my heart aches for my sweet sister who’s a full time working single mom. How the heck does she do it? Here I am with the most amazing partner in all this, working a flexible part-time job, and I still have my fall apart days.

Sigh.

Anyway. I’m off to have a little chocolate. (Happiness boost!) And to get my tax stuff finished up. And hopefully to get some socks washed and dried for tomorrow.

And then (fingers crossed!) maybe tomorrow I can be that super silly mama I like to be again.

Oh, and I think I’ll call my sister and volunteer to borrow her kiddo for a week this summer.


How can you help out a single parent? Financially? Volunteering babysitting time? Offering to dogsit when they go out of town? Let’s all make a point of helping where we can this month!