The Tyranny of Oppression (aka Having an Infant)

Babies are the worst kind of dictators. They rule with an iron fist, wreak havoc when they don't get their way and reduce their subjects to downtrodden, helpless beings. The killer, though, is that when you get so frustrated you're ready to drop them off at the back step of the local church, they break out in a smile and begin to coo at you that you become completely smitten and you worship your leader, and cannot imagine life without them.

I had a hell of a day yesterday. I was trying to post 7 items I'd sold on ebay, that included purchasing satchels, addressing them, bagging items and making sure they were delivered to the right person (I'm still not sure I got that right). Goo was being horrible, having one of those unsettled days and everything I did was wrong. He was asleep in the car. I did the right thing and picked him up to take him inside as opposed to leave him whilst I whizzed through the Post Office. He went into the Baby Bjorn without a fuss, and as soon as I walked into the Post Office, he began bellowing maniacally in an attempt to embarrass the hell out of me so I would leave this insidious place where he wasn't getting the desired amount of attention.  I went back to the car in an attempt to finish the parcelling, placed him in his car seat and tried to ignore his screams until it became so piercing it was like a worm that wriggled through my ear drum and lodged itself into the part of my brain that releases stress hormones.

My partner can't handle it when he comes home and I'm stressed to the max. He took Goo from me to give me a break but when he wouldn't stop crying he strapped him into bed and closed the door. Geez, I could've done that - he doesn't understand that because I've listened to him scream all day, the last thing I want is to continue hearing it. Between the screaming, the useless partner and my surly mood, our maison was not a pleasant place to be. You wonder how a 3 month old being can cause such chaos and misery.

The good news is, every day is a clean slate with a baby. You just hope the next one will be merciful. And more often than not, it is.