Family Affairs

I have never been very good at recognising when I am tired and need to go to bed. In fact, I still have a very childish attitude to staying up late:- a) because I love of the fact that nobody can tell me to go to bed now that I am a grown-up and b) because I always think I’m going to miss something. I blame my mother. She used to put me to bed when it was still light and all my friends were still playing outside.

However, tonight I know that I need to go to bed right away. I have had a lovely busy weekend. I am now on my knees and need to sleep. How do I know I am tired? Because I have just had a slightly mad moment with my children and need to get some perspective. I have confiscated all of the advent calenders because none of my children have confessed as to which one has eaten MY chocolate from window number 15. DAY 15!!! SOMEBODY HAS RUINED MY ADVENT CALENDER BECAUSE IT’S NOT IN ORDER AND WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ON DAY 15 NOW? I told all three of them that they needed to stay in the kitchen and talk about it and then to come and tell me who it was, but instead of taking me seriously they all simply opened the kitchen door and wandered about as if nothing had happened and kept looking at me like I was mad and telling me to calm down because it was only an advent calender….

I suspect it was wrong to become so incensed about an advent calender chocolate. But it’s the principle of the matter that counts. Perhaps I should eat four chocolates per day from each of the calenders until one of them cracks.

A far more important reason for going to bed now is because I’m going to try and see my 8 year olds teacher before school tomorrow morning. The same boy who threw all his clothes up too high for him to reach them after swimming the other day has thrown a plastic bottle at him and caused a large bruise on his leg. No more Mrs Nice Guy. Time for mother to wade in…..