Am I talking to myself?

Some days I feel like all I do is repeat what I say and often ask myself “Am I talking to myself?”. As of a mum of 3 and someone who looks after more than one business time is precious as it is without having to repeat everything I say to others. It’s like everything I say is either to blank faces or it goes in one ear and vanishes straight out the other!

With my eldest at home on school holidays I’ve had 3 kids to juggle along with 2 home businesses. I haven’t been able to get anything done and I feel I’m at my wits end. I feel like a bad mother because I can’t control my own kids!

When I was younger all my step father had to do was look at me the wrong way and I’d be still and silent. My kids however seem like those naughty kids you see in movie’s who play pranks and get into mischief (you know like way over the top naughty). I see other people and their kids all behaving nicely, their parents never needing to yell at them let alone send them to a naughty corner or god forbid spank them. Their parent’s are so together and “with it”, Mums usually all prettied up and looking ravishing and in control while I’m here with 3 monkeys in a zoo still in my singlet and PJ pants! (at least I got the chance to brush my hair today).

Every 20 mins someone is asking for food or drink and in between at least one of them is being naughty, loud or just plain feral! I’m asking them to be quiet, stop jumping on the lounge, stop hurting each other, get out of the fridge, get out of the pantry, put that back, don’t do that, get off of that, stop doing that, no you can’t do that, your brother is asleep please be quiet, seriously be quiet your brother will wake up, can you sit still for just 5 mins, time out, go to bed… Arrgghhhh I’ve said all of these and more about 50 times. I’ve sent them to bed and there running between rooms, I put them in corners and they kick and bang on the walls, I put them on a seat in middle of room and they still find something to do which naughty.

Please tell me that someone, anyone out there has children like this? I realise it’s because their “bored” but when I was younger we didn’t have as many things as my kids do and we always found something to do. We never went away apart from the trip to Nanna’s for a few days to a week but we did have a great neighbourhood full of kids which my own kids don’t have here.  My kids don’t seem to want to even TRY new things but then whinge there sitting around bored. I give them things to do, plan fun activities, go places, etc and all I get is whinging and whining. They don’t listen when were out, they act up and make me feel incompetent, when they are together its like they conspire to humiliate me!

My Partner blames me for their behaviour when out because we are at home a lot and thinks if we went out more they would be more behaved. My eldest has ADHD and is a handful on his own which is why I stopped going out much because I was over the tanties and running off on me. When he started school I went out quite a bit with just my daughter but now I have bubs taking 2-3 kids out on your own (when you have kids who run off and act up) is daunting, stressful and simply a PITA!!.

I’m sure there are some of you who also have naughty kids and I’m not the only one but there are some Lucky parent out there with awesome, well behaved little kids that makes me wonder “what am I doing so wrong!”.

How to you combat bad behaviour? When you have more than one child how do you stop that ripple effect that seems to occur once the bad behaviours starts and the others follow?