Save the Baby, Save the Children

There are parents all around me saying, "I can't wait for the kids to go back to school." I will agree, 11 days off school (not including weekend days) is a long time, but in our house the school aged children are not the problem. I think I would enjoy having them home more - although it would mean homeschooling and that would probably cause my final mental breakdown. Here in our home it is not the olders driving me bonkers - the Holiday Hangover Babers is suffering from is the problem. Save the Baby, Save the Children. However, my problem with the baby tends to happen to carry over to the children. You know how some days you wake up and you are already kinda crabby? Well, that would be Babers lately. Sure there is the communication gap, but we are starting to understand his made up words (gook = drink, bum = brother, pease = please), I honestly believe he is just waking up already feeling crabby and demanding that his needs be met OR ELSE!! Save the Baby, Save the Children. Today I am at a total disadvantage because I am tired and not crabby, but easily influenced in that direction. The olders were promised a trip to the Family Fun Center (an adult torture center) and we made plans to meet friends - this meant there was no backing out. Babers started in as soon as his breakfast was done. Threw a few Thomas trains (and those hurt!!) and even got swatted on the tush (not my favorite but it also wasn't my first, second or third peace attempt with him). Save the Baby, Save the Children. What I found though was that as I lost my patience with Babers I had zero patience left for SuperStar or Spidey, my illogical brain took over my logical brain and I found myself thinking things like "They are older they should know better" - even though I was expecting them to read my mind and not really giving them instructions. As we were driving to the playdate Babers started screaming for what appeared to be no reason (we still don't know why) and I considered going home and calling it a day, although the olders had been good all morning and they would be the ones to suffer the consequences, complain, whine and probably end up being yelled at by me because I was at my last thread - then I thought of the series we have been renting and watching and how all the hero's have been drawn to Save the Cheerleader to Save the World. It made me giggle to think that if only someone would Save the Baby they would also Save the Children from the consequences that lurked. It wasn't fair to them - so maybe the Family Fun Center would be enough to Save the Baby - and it was - Save the Baby, Save the Children. He is now big enough to play in the ball pit without being sucked under, enjoyed the jumping on the trampoline without a parent, and even played some putt putt golf (in his own fashion) - plus SuperStar took him different places on her own (sweet angel that she is). It didn't hurt that there were some other adult parents to talk to and that I have a playdate planned for tonight - away from the baby - thus saving the Baby yet another day.