Dear Stranger,
It’s hard to write this, because I’m going to be blunt, but things used to be much nicer before you moved in.
There used to be a balance in the way the different personalities in our house worked together and the three of us knew when to be together, but more importantly when to leave one another alone.
We enjoyed board games, nights wandering around the market and sessions just relaxing on the couch.
It was much more pleasant.
Then you moved in. There. You. Were.
The household shifted on its axis and all of a sudden the methods that worked to calm a storm were no longer effective. I couldn’t count on my silly method of asking the kids to physically get back into bed and get out on the ‘right side’. Loud music and dancing around the kitchen didn’t diffuse a tense situation.
My tried and tested methods are useless!
All of a sudden a fun chat can turn into a raging swirl of emotion and feelings. Just as quickly it can abate. No rhyme or reason to what sets off these bursts or what calms them.
We can be getting ready to race out the door to an event, sports training or dinner with friends and the mood can go from slightly tense as we all hurry to get ready, to PSYCHO MADNESS AND RAGE in 3.26 seconds.
I can no longer assume that a surprise play with a friend is a good idea because with you in our lives, friendships are shifting as it seems you’ve also settled into other houses in the area. You must be quite transient and you move from house to house sprinkling your nasty anti-pixie dust at will.
Well I’ve come to terms with the fact that you’re here to stay. We’ve made some changes to try and deal with your unexpected, unwelcome visits and I hope you’ll soon become invisible. Or at least your presence will become less disruptive.
I can recognise the signs as you enter the front door, the tell-tale signals that we all need to duck for cover and scatter to our own safe corner of the house. I can see the bubbling emotions simmer at a faster pace and I back off quick smart.
Sleep becomes more important for everyone when you settle in for one of your visits, and we adjust our bedtimes and cut back on energy-sapping activities in favour of some extra downtime.
I slip extra fresh fruit and veggies in wherever I can when you’re around, and our take-away night is ditched in favour of a home cooked meal. It seems to make a slight difference and anything that makes the most minute changes to your unwelcome stopovers is worth it in my opinion.
So to you Hormonal Outbursts, I say back off. I ask you to loosen your grip on my poor tween (and tweens everywhere) as we navigate this minefield of the tween years.
We’re learning to deal with you but please, just give us a bit of a break!
Not so sincerely, Kim
