Please may no one walk past me right now...

The problem with kids is that they go from extreme to the next in
about 0.05 seconds. This makes my job extremely difficult as it can be
very hard to anticipate a hit, scream, fight, tantrum etc etc.

This is extremely tricky as they become more and more tired yet insist
on sleeping in the same bed. After a long day of shoddy manners and an
extremely trying lack of listening skills, and even a time out, I
thought, "Screw it, at this stage I'm just not sure I care."

So downstairs I went. And then back upstairs because of the extremely
loud talking. (Their father has just come out of hospital and needs
rest. It is also, by this stage, Past Bedtime). And then downstairs,
and then upstairs to dry up tears. And then an attempt at seperation,
and then they were immediately Best Friends Forever. And then
downstairs. And then upstairs. With no more options for them, in
response to which they BOTH fled down to their parents bed. And then
they continued to giggle. And a very very frustrated me walked down
the stairs a little bit... To where I thought I would be hidden and
had a few sob-like breathes, only for the mom to walk in and catch me
in my moment of weakness.

The response was something like "Don't get frustrated, that's what
they have wine for" to which, my face replied (in a manner over which
I had no control) by scrumpling and scrunching itself in preparation
for Inappropriate Tears. However, these were "Yes, I'd really like to
go home to my boyfriend and crack open a bottle of wine" tears, and
not the "I can't cope" tears they were, no doubt, interpreted as.

But it was too late. My face was red, my eyes damp and my voice
broken. Nothing to do but leave. And hope the train ride is slow
enough for me to catch my breath.

Definitely don't want to scare any other Late Comer Homer's off their
bicycles... (My crying face is that bad).

I only hope my face isn't still distorted by the time I get home. My
poor other half...

Now, where's that wine.