I got unbelievably lucky meeting someone who can deal with all of my baggage (seriously, the man has infinite fucking patience for some shit I never talk about here). He's one in a bazillion in terms of compatibility. But we do the work. It's just enjoyable work.

Yep, indeed.

I do think a layer of crazy gets added when kids are in the mix, though. It's a lot easier when we don't have to worry about anyone, like, dying on our watch.

Fortunately 99.5% of our communication is via email. Of course, if I oversleep and miss an early email, then I have to be like "I was editing XYZ and just saw this email..." and hope it's believable.

Me too. My boss is a stickler about timely replies to her emails, too; if I don't respond within half an hour, she calls and starts grilling me about where I was. I don't know what she thinks I'm doing.

It's a lot easier when we don't have to worry about anyone, like, dying on our watch.

Holy shit, pets are stressful enough. I walk around the house saying stuff like "Kato, stop licking the floor! Toke, stop eating that plastic bag! Slinky, don't eat Toke's food!" and realize that with kids, that would be amplified by a million.

Holy shit, pets are stressful enough.

Stop fighting. Who threw up? Stop tearing up the damn couch. What did you knock over in there? Please stop fighting. Oh my god you're throwing up again, well now I know who did it. Stop eating plastic you furry idiot. Do you need to go to the vet? Stop fighting you little wretches!

And the next thing I see is the two little wretches who've been having slappy hissy fights all day, curled up on the bed together totally peaceful. Aww. I suspect it's much the same with kids. So cute when they're asleep!

I love when the housemate's cat curls up next to me to sleep (housemate is getting jealous), but I'm so over him walking all over me and poking me to get pettings at 3 AM. I like having something that's happy to see me come home, but then he's asking to be fed.

Stop eating plastic you furry idiot.

Yeah, that happens with kids too (not mine but that was just luck). Thank goodness they eventually outgrow being toddlers.

I suspect it's much the same with kids. So cute when they're asleep!

It is, that's why I still go in and admire them every morning.

But when it gets too much, I can lock 'em in the bathroom for an hour or six. I'm told that's frowned upon with kids.

Psht. Mom locked us out of the house when we were kids all the time.

Well, only once that I actually remember, and we were driving her nuts and it was the summertime and we had a pool, so we weren't going to die of heatstroke.

...or is that another holy-shit-your-family-is-effed-up moment that I didn't realize other families didn't do? (See also: driving your kids anywhere with a beer in a to-go cup because you just can't stop drinking long enough to take your kids somewhere. I seriously didn't realize other parents didn't do this until I was in college.)

We weren't locked out, cuz we didn't lock the house except at night, but there were plenty of days we were shoved out the door and told not to return until the streetlights came on.

Stop eating plastic you furry idiot.

Yeah, that happens with kids too (not mine but that was just luck). Thank goodness they eventually outgrow being toddlers.

ltc loves plastic or anything else she can get in her mouth.

So, according to the fitbit, between getting up to feed ltc, and general insomnia/pain keeping me from sleeping, I'm averaging about 5 hours of sleep a night. I guess now I know why I'm tired all the time.

Mom would just banish me to my room or play room until she could deal with me again. I was pretty good at entertaining myself as an only child.