In Which I Blame A Fictional Character For My Lack Of Parenting Chops
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but even if I have, it bears repeating: I hate New Year’s Eve. It may even beat out Valentine’s Day as my least favourite commercially manufactured holiday. At least with Valentine’s Day, there’s candy. With New Year’s there’s just overinflated expectations and, now that I have a child old enough to indulge in same, whining and tears over the indignity of being denied the right to watch crappy tv until a giant ball drops from sky, thus ending an evening with far too much hoopla and not nearly enough payoff.
I have a hard enough time working up enthusiasm for the whole clean slate thing that I don’t feel–my personal New Year starts the first day of school–without being confronted with the “But Arthur gets to stay up until Midnight!” argument. Dude. Arthur is a fictional talking aardvark who has a pet dog (seriously, wtf?). I’m hardly going to be swayed by the fact that his parents let him do something. And even if I were so inclined, this is also the family that produced the whining wonder that is D.W. Again, hardly a stunning endorsement of their parenting decisions.
I’m really not up for this tantrum tonight. I’m tired, I have a headache borne of negotiating one too many battles over toys today, and no matter how many times I pick it all up, it still looks like Toys R Us threw up in my livingroom–forget sugarplums, at this point I’ve got visions of garbage bags dancing in my head. Enduring the monumental tantrum that is brewing over bedtime really isn’t how I want to spend the last moments of this year. But I also don’t want to start next year having set the precedent that we stay up until midnight. It’s not something I’ve done in past years, so why should I now just because some kids tv show put it into my kid’s head that this is what you do for New Year’s Eve. Thanks Arthur! You really dropped the ball on this one.
So, no reflective, navel gazing year end post from me. No uplifting looks towards the future. Just a sincere belief that it would be great to sleep through the initial moments of 2008.
Comment by Kate
I hope your sleep went extremely well, that your morning is stress free and that Arthur throws himself off a bridge to save the world from more Arthur caused insanity.
Happy New Year and welcome to 2008, its been the whole day here, just the night part left to go, not a bad day really.
Posted on January 1, 2008 at 12:20 am
Comment by jenny
I did sleep through new year, only waking briefly to think that anyone with a baby or nervous dog was going to be really pissed off about those fireworks!
Posted on January 1, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Comment by landismom
OMG, the tantrum last night! I believe the Bee was channeling the demon from the Exorcist.
Hope your night was less painful.
Posted on January 1, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Comment by Sandi
I agree. I hate New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. I hated them when my husband was alive and healthy. We never went out for either one. I always thought it was a rip-off, restaurants are overbooked and the food is never good on those nights.
Posted on January 1, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Comment by momx5
We’ve never made a big fuss over New Years, but we’ve always let the kids stay up and watch the ball. I remember how excited I was as a kid to watch that thing. (Who knows why? Certainly not me!) My theory….it gets them to sleep in the next morning, and any time that I get a couple of hours in the morning by myself. . . .
Posted on January 2, 2008 at 9:39 am
Comment by crazy4now
I can DEFINITELY wait for those years to come!! I only enjoy it so much for the partying..
Posted on January 2, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Comment by Sandra
Arthur sucks.
Happy, happy new year to you just the same!
Posted on January 3, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Comment by Lady M
We’ve been reading some traditional folk tales from a book given to us a few years ago and boy, are some of the morals and actions weird. Fortunately, none involve staying up until midnight.
Posted on January 6, 2008 at 4:39 am
Comment by Mav
This was the first time in YEARS that I was asleep before 12.
I loved it.
Posted on January 7, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Comment by Jenny
Amen, amen.
PS. Happy birthday!
Posted on January 8, 2008 at 11:57 am
Comment by Stacey
Hey Lady! Hope you are OK and that the New Year is starting well!
Posted on January 8, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Comment by Cyndi
Hope everything is okay and you are just taking a break from posting…
Posted on January 9, 2008 at 9:28 am
Comment by Stephanie
I was just thinking the same thing as Stacey and Cyndi. Hope all is going well and you’re taking a well deserved break.
Posted on January 9, 2008 at 11:46 am
Comment by Heather C.
New Year’s is silly. Flat out silliness. I have firm belief that if you can’t ring in the first midnight hour on top of or underneath a member of the opposite sex then why bother at all.
Posted on January 9, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Comment by Meigan
I hope everything is ok Kimberly - when one of the most consistent bloggers I read goes silent for such a long time, I start to worry that something is wrong. In this case I hope I’m wrong…
Posted on January 10, 2008 at 10:02 am
Comment by Jen
Ditto all of the recent commenters. I’m worried that I haven’t seen any posts from you in well over a week. We all miss you Kimberly!
Posted on January 10, 2008 at 11:01 am