I don't know how you people with kids do it

[Skittles]

I'm single and live alone and I have such a hard time keeping up with life - job, appointments, keeping my apartment clean, keeping the car in good shape, getting enough sleep and exercise - where do you find all the time.....it's why I never complain when I occasionally have to cover at work for people dealing with their tots.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. What a nice thing to say.

Thank you, Skittles.

[Skittles]

3. AWWWWWWWWWW

you're welcome :)

[Book Lover]

2. One finds the time

The time gets carved out, and the nonessentials get pushed aside. Besides, it's only for 18 or so years for most of us... Life is Long.

[Samurai_Writer]

4. Well, I think most parents don't sleep and rarely 'exercise'

They get enough exercise running around after the kids all day, though. My sister and brother-in-law are 43 and 50, and have two little girls (3 and 5). They are constantly telling me how tired they are. I had my kids when I was young, and don't remember it being that draining. Of course, when you're 23 with a 3 year old it's a lot different than 43 with a 3 year old.

[fight4my3sons]

8. I was going to say...

I'm 33 with a 3 yr old and 18 month old twins (all boys) and most days I feel like someone just kicked my ass! I'm exhausted! I love it, but damn I'm tired at the end of the day. I can't imagine how tired I would feel if I were 10 years older. I have much respect for your sister and brother-in-law :applause:

I have to say my husband does get pissed that the treadmill just sits in the corner. I just don't want to run on the treadmill after running after the kids all day, wonder why :eyes:

[Skittles]

19. see, when I babysit for a couple of tots

the parents want to know what happened when they return and the kids are fast asleep - I run the kids around....that's what exercise does for me :D

[SW FL Dem]

49. Sounds like my sister and BIL

She's 41 and trying for her second. He's 47 and they have a 2 1/2 yr old daughter. My sister just miscarried, but they are going to keep trying. I'm 47 and have a 14 yr old. I can't imagine dealing with an infant or toddler at my age. It exhausts me just to spend a few days with my sister and my niece.

[Orsino]

5. The same way childless couples do it...

...just more quietly, after the kids are asleep.

[driver8]

32. Ha Ha...how true, how true...or at three in the morning when my

wife wakes me up!!

[kick-ass-bob]

6. I have no idea how we do it either, to be honest.

It probably starts with not getting enough sleep..

[Midlodemocrat]

13. Yup. Sleep, I found, is highly overrated.

I have been perpetually exhausted for 15+ years.

[rustydog]

7. You are too cool. Will you work for me Friday?

[LeftyMom]

9. It's not too bad when you've got somebody to share the work

I'm having a hard time juggling work, cooking, cleaning and the kid since his Dad and I split, though.

To think, my Dad did this with two kids for nearly two decades... :wow:

[LaraMN]

10. Plbbt! Once they're about three, the kids can do it all themselves!

I wish!

[Oeditpus Rex]

23. Beer *and* prunes?

Goin' for the Bad Mom of the Century award, are we? :spank:



Not to mention one hell of a mess in the bathroom.

[LaraMN]

30. That's just some Google Images kid.

She's not real.

[Oeditpus Rex]

34. Uh...

Duh? :shrug:

As if I'd think you'd let your offspring pound brewskis.

[LaraMN]

40. Well, there does exist a picture of my oldest boy tippin' a beer bottle

at the tender age of about 18 months. It was empty, though. I also have a picture of him in a pink corduroy dress at about 8 or 9 months old. I couldn't help myself- he was just such a PRETTY little boy.:rofl:

[Telly Savalas]

35. Whew.

What kind of a monster would give their 3-year old Lite beer? Jeez, a kid that young doesn't have to worry about their weight and should enjoy the full flavour of a real beer.

[pdx_prog]

11. I am a single parent of two kids....

boy 11 and girl 15.

I rarely get time to myself. I do exercise a few times a week for an hour or so. I wake up, get ready, get them ready, take daughter to school, go to work, pick up daughter, go home, cook dinner, stomp and yell until homework is finished, stomp and yell again until showers are completed, then get them off to bed. During this entire time I am pushing them to help me clean house and pick up after themselves. I have them trained pretty good, but they backslide on a regular basis.

When I exercise it's usually in between coming home and cooking dinner. Mixed in there are boy scout meetings, dr appointments, running daughter here and there, play rehearsals, etc....

Ex wife comes over and stays with them from Saturday at 5:00 pm until Sunday at about 6:00. She starts whining at about 2:00 PM on Sunday that she needs to leave.....what a damn waste of oxygen.

My girlfriend comes over and helps me usually one night a week. I get to stay with her on Saturday evenings....I would go completely insane otherwise.

[Tikki]

29. We are a grandma and grandpa...We are the primary...

...caregivers for a three year old. Primary in this case means 24/7/365..he lives in our home....thankfully our son (the father) is on the scene in the evenings after he gets home from work.



The Tikkis

[redqueen]

12. Wow... how thoughtful of you!

It's a chore, you're right.

This parent thanks you for the consideration you show to your coworkers. :hug:

[fishnfla]

14. Keep Farmers' hours

whats this Daily Show everyone speaks of?

Its easier when they are old enough to take care of themselves, like age 21 or 22

[miss_american_pie]

15. Define "enough sleep"

Once the kids came, definitions changed.

[Skittles]

20. well

I guess my problem has always been I've never had REGULAR sleeping hours....I sleep 3 hours here, 5 hours there.....when I get tired....

[miss_american_pie]

25. You're all set for parentood then

I have not slept more than five consecutive hours since 2001.

[tigereye]

24. that's for damn sure

I had no idea what tired was until I had a baby. Fortunately they do sleep after a while....

You have to train your kid to amuse himself for a while so you can sleep in a little on Saturday and Sunday mornings. :)

[miss_american_pie]

27. LOL

And to think I wasn't going to let them watch tv.

:hide:

[plcdude]

16. having had 4 of them

I appreciate your comments. I have a 30, 27, 21, and 11 year old and as much work as it has been, I would have to say that I have done nothing more meaningful in my life than to bring up children. In fact I am beginning to face the empty-nest syndrome and not looking forward to it. But thanks for your comments.

[Hugin]

17. *Nominated for day's funniest headline*

[Skittles]

18. lol

I DID think about the irony of it when I was typing :D

[LynzM]

21. Very, very carefully...

This: " getting enough sleep and exercise" does not happen. My exercise right now is chasing/playing with our daughter, and sleep? I'm lucky to get 6 hours, most nights. But I'm also taking two classes and working full time ;) There are days I want to give all that up and stay home, but I also want a degree this decade... Yes, sometimes it's really rough and exhausting, but it's also really rewarding!

[bicentennial_baby]

33. Hey you!

:yourock: Keep it up! :)

[LynzM]

42. Thanks dude!

:hi:

[latebloomer]

22. How kind of you!

I've been hearing a lot of "child-free" people on another site piss and moan about "breeders". They are tired of people with kids getting special bennies while they get none. So nice to hear someone who appreciates the stress of parenting.

I don't know how single parents or even working parents do it, either. My kids are 14 and 11 and we've always had one parent at home or working part-time. My husband has been the stay-at-home for the past few years. I'm still very busy, but he does a lot of the chores, errands, pickups, etc.

[CatBoreal]

26. I'm a single parent for the next two weeks....

....and it's tough!

My husband started a new job down south and we won't be joining him until after Yule.

So, here I am, with a 6 and a 3 year old, pregnant to boot, trying to care for the kids, pets, and pack for the move at the same time.

It's exhausting, and I've never appreciated my hubby more.

Kudos to you for helping out the parents at work. And hats off to all the single mothers and fathers out there doing a good job with their kids.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. I'm with you, Skittles

I could have gone the single parent route, and I seriously considered it, but then I saw how exhausted the pairs of parents were, especially in the infant years, and I knew that I would never want to have a baby without another adult to take some of the burden.

I knew that one sometimes becomes a single parent involuntarily due to death or divorce, but I didn't want to take on that way of life voluntarily.

[bleedingheart]

47. it is much better to raise children with at least one helper

cuz when junior decides to wake up at 3am and start spewing puke all over the place...one can be on clean up detail while the other cleans up the kid and sits with him/her while their tummy settles...and then you take turns...

having been raised by a single mother (dad died when I was young)...I have great respect for those who do it all...but I know that they appreciate the help when they can get it.

[Floogeldy]

31. I feel weird.

I'm 52, and have no children. I don't want children.

Guess I'll die lonely. :(

[redqueen]

45. Not weird...

And you still have your friends, right? :pals:

[Floogeldy]

54. I am truly blessed in that regard.

I have many great friends. :)

I don't have that many female friends that I see with any regularity, though. I've always found that difficult. Because if we like each other enough to be good friends, well . . . . You know? And then, sometimes after that, it gets difficult to just be friends.

I've said too much.

[justabob]

36. Thank you Skittles

You are very kind. :toast:

edit: I don't know how the people with multiple kids do it. I only have one and can't imagine having 3 or 4.

[Pithlet]

37. I wondered that before I had kids.

I was scared to death before my first was born. I was joyous and aprehensive at the same time, because I didn't know if I was capable of handling it all. But, 5 years later I'm still plugging along, with two boys aged 2 and 4. The house work mostly gets done, and I even squeeze in some exercise, though not nearly as much. I don't run races or ride my mountainbike anymore, but I get in treadmill time, usually after they go to bed.

Thanks for your post, Skittles :)

[GreenPartyVoter]

38. We do it with peanut butter in our hair and sticky kiss prints on our

cheeks. :)

But that's so sweet of you to cover at work for folks with families! :hug:

[electron_blue]

39. I had no idea how much spare time I had before I had a kid

Of course, back then I worked a lot more hours/week. But anyway... I don't do very well lately. I got really sick last week and ended up in the hospital. (Did anyone miss me??) Single parenting sucks sometimes. (Not that I want my ex back!!)

[tjdee]

51. It sucks most of the time!

Glad you're feeling better.

Being a single parent really, really sucks IMO. I can see how in some ways it's easier than having the headache of another person to deal with all the time...but overall, I'd prefer someone to help sometimes.

I have an angel of a child though. :silly: That makes it A LOT better. She's awesome.

[Jamastiene]

41. I'm resisting the urge....

With no or ineffective birth control.

All kidding aside,
I don't know how people with kids manage either. I would have to be institutionalized after about 3 days with all those running, screaming, money grubbing rugrats running around the house.

[ScreamingMeemie]

44. And then you would be saved...like I am when my son climbs up and

leans against me for the next chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Having children is not all bad, just as being single is not always a bowl of cherries. :hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. I spend time here...and let the rest of it go. I gave up trying to find

time a long time ago. I mostly roll with what's going on. This sounds almost idyllic, doesn't it? It's not. I married an organized man, and I drive him to his limits everyday. I try...sort of. ;) right now, it's about the kids, and I take the time when I can, and we just don't invite a whole bunch of people over. :hi:

[TrogL]

46. it's really simple

• you're constantly late for work, but your boss understands because he's even later
  
• you're constantly late for appointments, but two minutes away your cell phone goes off - it's them apologize for running even later because their kids are....(pick something)
  
• your apartment is a mess - get over it
  
• your car is a wreck - get over it
  
• sleep???
  
• you get lots of exercise chasing kids, picking up after kids, lugging kids' stuff around...
  

[xmas74]

48. I skip the exercise most of the time.

And the dating, the bathing, the sleep...

[tjdee]

53. What she said.

Sigh.

[SW FL Dem]

50. I worked full-time when my son was younger

I was always tired but, somehow, my house was cleaner than it is now. I was also in better shape. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I spend WAY too much time on my computer - usually at DU.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

52. Well, why didn't you TELL me you're single??????

I can take care of that! (Even tho' you scare me sometimes 'cause you yell a lot...) :evilgrin: