Oh to be a Jellyfish

I can't say no. Well, I can say no to drugs, but I can't say no to "Will you babysit my kid today while I lay around and do nothing and you go to school, work, shopping, paying bills, and do your homework all while toting around my three year old that I frankly don't want to spend any time with because I am impecibly self centered?

Okay, I may have added it a little, (everything after "today") but it is all true. I watch my DF's(Tom) niece(Sissy) while his sister(Rhiannon) works.

As some of you may recall she was working nights, but has now switched to days. Which has worked out pretty well for me becaue now I can sleep in my own bed at night and am not tied to going over their every night (Tom's mom[Bonnie] is very ill[cancer, in very late stages] and lives with them, but can't take care of herself, let-a-lone a 3yo, which is why I was staying their at night, to watch after Bonnie) When Rhiannon switched to days she asked me to watch Sissy during the day, while Jorden is in school.

Nobody else will take them. Rhiannon's kids( Sissy=3 & Jorden=7) are some of the least behaved children I have ever met. Their parent are seperated, but live about 5min. apart and so Rhiannon is supposed to keep Sissy in the day and then the dad picks them both up at about 5:30-6:00 and they sleep at dad's, they do the every other weekend thing as well. Anyway, these kids don't get punished, when they are told "no" they continue to do it or to beg because they ALWAYS get their way with mom&dad, they only feed them junk, I am not kidding, the best thing these kids will eat is chicken nuggets, and sometimes toast. For them fruit snacks serve as a meal! They don't listen and they won't eat anything they can't recognize the packaging from (Oreos, Fruit Roll Ups, Doritos, Cheetos, Stickerz make up their diet, and the like) Oh, and they haven't even started potty training Sissy, who will be 4 soon.

Because every daycare/babysitter in town has kicked them out, I agreed to take Sissy during the day(I somehow can make them listen...well, sometimes) I worked it out that a friend of mine with an in home day care would take Sissy during nap which is when I have class(the rest I took at night and on-line) I really don't mind having her most of the time, if you actually talk to her and let her know who is in charge she will listen, with the exception of eating new/healthy things, I am working on it.

I went over Monday to pick her up(dad drops her off in the morning after taking Jorden to school) and noticed Rhiannon's car in the driveway, I thought maybe she rode with someone. I didn't see any sign of her being their so I took Sissy and we did our thing when I took her back that night I found out Rhiannon had the ENTIRE WEEK OFF!!!! and failed to tell me. I asked if she would be taking Sissy since she had the week off, she said "No, I want you to take her as many days as you can" the spineless jellyfish that I am said okay, but I was til pretty upset about it, I didn't know how to tell her no.

I checked into it, she is sleeping and playing on the computer all day, I wouldn't mind as much if she had appointments, or even if she just wanted 1-2 days alone, I can understand that, but a whole WEEK to do NOTHING? Who wouldn't want to spend time with their daughter when they had the time to spend?

I went over Thursday to pick up Sissy(btw, it is 30 miles+ away[now that the new road opened, it used to take me an hour or more to get over their]) but she wasn't their yet. I asked what time she was coming and Rhiannon said "Oh not until 11:30, why?" Ummm, I have CLASS at 11:30, she goes "oh, well we are keeping her today" I asked why she didn't call and let me and she said she couldn't remember if I was taking her not...she has my number she could have asked before I drove all that way, got up earlier than I needed to and wasted all that gas. I was peeved, but again just left and called Tom and complained to him.

Then, that same night they call me and ask if I can take Bonnie to a Dr. appointment at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning I asked why Rhiannon couldn't do it and she said because she had both of the kids that day (she never works on Friday, and Jorden didn't have school)and that was too early to wake up. I again, agreed.

When Tom found out he flipped out and called Rhiannon an said, "No, you are taking mom in the morning. I don't care if you have YOUR kids or not, they are your responsibility, you made the choice to get knocked up...TWICE, if you would actually discapline them you could take them in public with out them being monsters, that's all on you. You live five minutes away from the Dr. office if she has to there by 7:45 you can wake up at 7:30 and be on time. Amanda(that's me) would have to wake up around 6:00 to do it, and she is wore out from raising YOUR kid for you and still getting all of her stuff taken care of, not to mention that she actually plays with Sissy and got her to go potty three times this week, which you wouldn't even know howto attempt either of those. You need to step up, your in your thirties now, so stop partying and sleeping like a teenager that doesn't have kids. You are taking her AND your kids."

Gotta love him!

I just feel bad that I can't do it myself, it's just near impossible for me to stand up for myself and say no, which is exactly how I end up with no sleep, running around like crazy with ten thousand things to do and only one or maybe two are for me.

Which is also why I feel like I barely have time to breathe or think.