You don’t need to spend hours in a psychology class to hear about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The basic premise is that people need certain things in their life, and these things build on one another to get to a full, well-rounded experience of life. It’s like the food pyramid, with the basic needs being on the bottom. I like to spend my time in the top tier, but I’ve noticed that, in my time as a mom, I can not be in the top tier as often as I’d like. Not because my house is crumbling around me, or that I don’t have adequate food resources, but, because I am so freaking tired.
Seriously.
At 13+ months, Potamus is still sporty a gummy West Virginia smile. Zero teeth. None. And for the most part I’m cool with this fashion statement, but in the past few days the snot has begun running more profusely, a lowish grade fever, and CHOMPING on everything in site, which is usually his fingers, and I’ve noticed some self-induced bulimia action happening. I think, finally, he’s going to cut a tooth (or 9). I can’t quite see them all coming through, yet, but it’s the only thing to explain the bizarre crying jags at 4 am, that have kept us both up for the past 3 days (thank God I’m off today).
Because when I am tired, I am less able to be compassionate. When I am tired, and stuck at home picking up all the books that he has thrown around the room for the umpteenth time, I get cross, and forget he’s in pain and tired, too, and developmentally, tossing books is super cool. I think, if I were a better mom, I would have indoor house activities planned, but I just don’t have the energy, so I let him pull books of the shelf and toss orange slices to the dog from his high chair. Sometimes work is easier than parenthood, especially without those basic needs being met.
I’m trying to take it all in stride, as this is the first week Boof is at work, and normally we share Friday duties between the two of us. His late-home arrivals are going to be hard, but thankfully tax season is just that- a season.
boof & monk-monk 
I love this – I told my Psychology 101 students EXACTLY this the other day when I introduced Maslow (I have a 2-year-old….sleep is still an issue – we’re on the 2 year molars now). Wishing you the rest you need & deserve so you can move up the hierarchy!
Yeah, despite all my teaching and learning about it, there’s nothing like a kid’s wonky sleep schedule to remind me of my frail humanity! I’ve used it with my students, too, but usually their deal is finding housing that gets in the way of those higher level of needs 😦
Thanks for dropping by the blog today!
Okay, I can very much relate because a) Samuel chucks books (and movies and toys!) everywhere b) I am tired and c) he’s getting 4 molars and 3 other teeth all that the SAME TIME right now! lol
This too shall pass. 🙂
My friend with a 4 year old said her son did the book-chucking until about age 3…while I’m glad he’s showing SOME interest in books, I’d rather it be snuggling for storytime 😉
I hope all the teeth come in quickly! I looked in my little guy’s mouth and it looks like there are a lot that are active…
Depends on their mood, I guess, because Samuel will listen intently to me reading, at times, and other times he empties the bookshelf onto the floor with not a care in the world! 😛
I’m jealous that you have a dog that Potamus can toss orange slices to. That sounds like it would keep my kid occupied for more than 2 minutes and give me a chance to desperately cling my way up that hierarchy of needs. The lack of sleep has had me stuck on the bottom rung for almost 21 months. Hang in there Momma and hope the teething isn’t too bad.
I love that image of clinging to the bottom rung…as if we’ve fallen overboard and are going to be swept away by the ocean & lost at sea if we don’t hold on. That’s sure how it feels sometimes!