Sorry, I just couldn't think of a better way of describing it.
It's half term, it's a gorgeous sunny day, and I know there's a meet up going on at a National Trust property. I'd have loved to get out of the house and just 'do stuff' like other average families can do. Picnic, running through the woods, all that easy carefree kind of stuff. I could do that with our eldest girl.
Instead, I've spent nearly 2 hours trying to persuade our youngest to leave the house. Today, it hasn't worked. Eldest is not bothered because she verges towards lazy and would happily sit on the sofa all day unless we tell her we're doing otherwise. Then she might have a good moan about it, but she will go out, and do as we please, and generally find the fun.
Youngest PDA girl just doesn't work like that. As she gets older, I think she struggles more to remember the fun we have had when we've been out. I show her photos, but if she's in 'that mood' (by that, I mean that her PDA characteristics are showing strongly), then she won't even entertain looking at the photos anyway.
Of course I could MAKE her go out, as some people have suggested (although sometimes, now she is bigger, it would be a struggle to force her in the car if she didn't want to). The thing is, 9 times out of 10 there'd be no point, because she'd be so unhappy when we got to wherever we were going that she would insist we left straight away. She wouldn't 'cheer up' or just carry on walking next to us grumpily, she'd resist at the top of her voice and not go anywhere.
It's important for me to carry on trying, as exhausting as it is, or else we really would end up staying at home ALL the time. Home is a safe place, that's where she is comfortable. It would drive me out of my mind.
So I have to pick and choose my battles, focus on just one or two outings a week, and be resigned to going with the (very slow) flow the rest of the time. We have managed some great days out, and happy family times. Life's not so bad, it's just not how it would have been.
(sorry I won't be seeing you today Mammasaurus, Being Mrs C and Actually Mummy)
