Parenting sucks

I have 4 kids. I love them to death, but they drive me absolutely crazy.

 

My teens are both grounded for bad grades. The deal is, if they want to be off punishment they can't have any Fs. If they want fun and cool stuff (cell phones/computers), they have to have As and Bs. One has a trip to NYC scheduled for the spring with her Choir class, but first she has to be passing ALL of her classes. So here's the deal, this weekend she heard an add on the radio about some talent scout being in town and the first 200 callers could get an audition. So she called. She was one of the 200. Then she comes to me to ask me to talk to them. I said no. She runs off crying and I feel like a jerk. I justify it to myself that one, she's grounded and used the phone without permission; two, she called first and then asked; and three, what in the world made her think I'd say yes, when I won't even let her hang out on the porch with her friends? Grounded is grounded. I'm pretty sure I was right, even my mom told me I was right. I still feel like a jerk.

My first grader is addicted to video games. I've had to severely limit his playing. Now he can only play a couple times a week for up to an hour, but first he has to do his chores and any homework he may have.

My three yr old punched me in the face yesterday because I told her no. I don't remember what it was about, just that we were sitting on the couch, she wanted something and I said no. What a shock!

It's Monday, I was hoping with the three going back to school things would settle back down here. They haven't. Maybe I have PMS, but it seems every little thing is irritating me today. Either that or it's the fact that I'm feeling abused and taken for granted and the kids are bouncing off the walls. Where's dad? Sleeping because he didn't sleep well last night o.0

Today is almost over and hopefully tomorrow will be better.