*** When you realize your son still has three paragraphs of his paper before he gets to go to the King’s game.
*** When you realize your kids’ reading room with the great couches is named after Ben Carson, a horrible politician and a really awful human being, and your son thinks that’s okay because he can separate conjoined twins.
*** When you realize Donald Turnip is STILL IN THE NEWS.
*** When you realize your oldest daughter is using you to whine to, and for no other reason.
*** When the dogs won’t let the cat come in and you have to get up ten times to make it happen.
*** when you plan to go swimming tomorrow and realize it’s going to be 48 degrees but your body demands it.
*** When you realize you’re less than halfway through the hardest part of your son’s Star War’s hat and it needs to be done by THURSDAY.
*** When you realize you had planned your day around NOT going shopping but both kids need cookies and candy canes for the next day.
*** When you realize the kids haven’t practiced dance and they have it tomorrow.
*** When you realize you have to go to bed anyway.
***When you buy a pie for the kids and eat it yourself.
***When the dog leaves a “present” for you next to the dirty laundry.
***When the cat leaves a “present” for you in the shower.
***When you come to the conclusion that there’s just not enough time.
* * *
So, when do YOU Tina?
It's all trauma triage, hun. There will come a time when you realize that as a Mom or significant caregiver, the ass-end of the Holidays is destined to hit you with both butt cheeks when you can barely balance on two legs and almost see past the mountain of 'gotta-do's.'
THAT is when you reach out for your mate, snuggle in the warmth of his (or her) arms and beg for a way to delegate some of the stuff that threatens to smother all your joy and most of your sanity. Then, IF, and only if, you finally realize that you can no longer sweat the petty stuff, nor pet the sweaty stuff, you sit down with an adult beverage and allow yourself to bask in the glory of what you managed to accomplish – everything else is moot. Further, this will happen again next year, and you will look forward to it. (gentle hugs!)