I'm trying to multi-task tonight and type this while the boys are playing in the tub with some new boats Santa dropped off yesterday morning. This is actually one of the calmest moments in what's been a very tumultuous couple of days.
The kids thrive on routine and we've done very little according to their normal schedule the past couple of days amongst the excitement of Christmas Morning and trips around the metro area to celebrate with our extended family.
The hardest part for me is the struggle between my desire for them to be on their best behaviour (my fingers are feeling British tonight, it seems) and their innate tendency to suffer breakdowns when they're overtired and can't control or effectively express their emotions. I know why they react the way they do, I'm rarely surprised anymore when they break down, I consider myself a fairly patient and logical bloke (British, again), but in the heat of the moment I still have a hard time not getting frustrated. At times I'll even catch myself responding to them as if it's their choice to throw the tantrum when I know, in most cases, it isn't something they can control. Of course, throwing tantrums over not getting an awesome Batman motorcycle at Toys R Us [even if daddy agrees that it's AWESOME] is a choice, and I feel like I handle those break downs pretty well. It's the tumultuousness when we're all overtired that I want to work on.
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