26 May 2010

Lost



I lost my temper today, all day.

I used to be a pretty mellow person. I've never been volatile. When others flew off the handle at work, I was always the one calming the situation. I would tell them that it's not worth getting angry.

Recently I've felt a rage building up. I don't know if it's hormonal or caused by lack of sleep, but I find myself getting annoyed quite easily.

I try so hard not to lose my temper with Presley and Cash, but sometimes they drive me to distraction. I had no idea children could behave like, well, children. They go on and on and on and on. They ask for the same thing over and over again. Every time I go into the kitchen to cook their tea, Cash follows me, raises his arms and barks 'up' at me. I explain that mummy needs two hands to poach an egg/butter a slice of bread/peel an orange/whatever but this goes in one ear and out the other. 'Up up up UP'.

I sometimes shout at my boys and I ashamed about this. I'm supposed to be the adult in the relationship. They seem to ignore it anyway.

Today though, I have been incandescent with rage practically the entire day. This has nothing to do with the boys and I've tried to keep it from them. 

We're trying to get our house on the market. Our estate agent sent through the brochure for us to proof read today, two days late. I found 31 errors. Some were pretty fundamental. They had ignored our main selling points in favour of saying that we had a 'Conservatory and Modern Fitted Kitchen'. This is incorrect. Our kitchen is the original one from when the house was built in the early 1980s and sadly there is no conservatory. 

I replied with all the changes that were required. I asked for the next proof to be double checked before it was sent to me and advised them that we were thinking about changing agents.

I received a brief email from the manager with no apology, followed by a brochure still listing 'Conservatory and Modern Fitted Kitchen' as a main selling point.

Argh!

I'm furious.

Needless to say I will be terminating their contract in the morning. 

I haven't stopped shaking my head in annoyance and disappointment this evening.

I think I'm pretty justified in losing my temper - just this once.



This post was written for the Sleep is for the Weak Writing Workshop. This week I chose prompt no.2 Lost.

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19 comments:

  1. I completely agree with you; estate agents are complaining about the property market being dead you would think that when they have a client they would bloody well do all they can to provide a good service! I had a similar experience this wk with a car salesman.
    Hope tomor is a better day x

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  2. my little one says "Up dem" all the time for being picked up. My hubby thinks she is saying Up Down. Either way we have the same discussions about how I can't do what I need to do while holding her and the same insistence from her side "Up dem, up dem, up dem" It's so hard on these days when we just want to swear at the world isn't it?

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  3. Me too: that's entirely justified, and what a shoddy attempt at providing you with a not-inexpensive service.

    Bin them!

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  4. Idiots! It is OK to get mad sometimes, and this sounds like one of those times. Go and kick something!

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  5. I am v. angry on your behalf! What they've done is completely unacceptable - and to not even apologise! Quite right that you're going to go elsewhere.

    With regards to losing your temper with the children, I so understand where you're coming from. My boy is exactly the same when I'm trying to cook his tea, and when I explain that I can't come and do stuff right now he throws a huge tantrum. I'm sure it's just his age but it's difficult to stay calm!

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  6. That's so out of order no wonder you are angry. Sounds like total incompetence and clearly a good idea to try someone else. My experience with estate agents has never been brilliant so don't be surprised if the next ones aren't much better! I think it's good to lose your temper when it helps you to resolve things that need sorting. Don't feel bad about it.

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  7. Oh I really feel for you having to deal with such incompetence. They really should get their arses in gear.

    Meal times (or at least the bit immediately before) are the most stressful time in our house too. It would take the patience of a saint not to get cross sometimes. I know the relentlessness of the same thing over and over gets to me.

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  8. I hope you've changed them by now. Incompetence drives me mad too. Or indifference, whichever it was.

    Children can drive me to the brink as well. I give myself time-outs. Instead of the naughty step, I go to the toilet with a magazine or disappear into my bedroom for a while. It works wonders.

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  9. It is totally understandable why you lost your temper and as for kids, they drive us all mad at times. xx

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  10. I'd have named and shamed the estate agency by now but then I have a short fuse when it come to things like that - things that I expect from a professional company who want my business.

    With regards to losing your temper with the children - oh I'm so guilty of that too :( You're not alone, chuck as I'm sure you realise by some of the comments xx

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  11. Sometimes I too lose it, espesically with Mini (we are so alike) and it is terrible. Maxi is the sensible one and he told me to stop acting like a child earlier in the week - chastised by a 5 year old - hmm

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  12. Gosh I don't envy you having sold and, fingers crossed, moving soon.
    I would change estate agents right away. They spin so much waffle when they want your business and once you've signed your contract you're just another house on their books. Find someone who does care enough at least to get the writing correct!
    Best of luck

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  13. Do you know what? This sort of thing drives me crazy as well!! I completely understand why you;re just fed up. Good writing, it really shows a person who is human, who has real issues to face and then suddenly something just tips the scales and that human feels such intense frustration they can barely contain it. Glad youre changing estate agents.

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  14. Hugs because that is what makes the world better. Well that and chocolate and wine and watching the naff programmes on TV.

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  15. I'm beginning to wonder if patience is a finite substance. I seem to have completely run out of all mine lately too :)

    I don't blame you for getting cross though, sometimes cross is justified! x

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  16. At risk of offending any estate agents on here, ours were exactly the same, awful!
    Our agent drafted a letter to our buyers telling them we were looking to rent to speed things up for them - we had never ever said that and I suggested she do something about it pretty damn quick - who did she think she was making that type of statement for us!
    She also left viewers waiting outside (yes I spied on her).
    So I feel your pain, it makes you shake with rage.
    It will however all be worth it in the end I promise.
    As for the conservatory, call them and ask them when they're going to be bringing it round for you, and could they please not make a mess when they lift it in to place?

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  17. Patchwork Bird, sorry to hear about your bad experience with the car salesman. We're almost on the market now!! x

    The Moiderer, it is tough. They don't seem to understand when you say to the 'in a minute'!

    The Dotterel, binned. It is total money for old rope. Apparently Canada has just passed a law allowing sellers to buy space on their equivalent of rightmove.

    Geeky Mummy, I sometimes wish life was like a cartoon, where you could scream into a paper bag, run to the top of a hill and let it out there!

    Baking Mad Mama, where are the Numberjacks when you need them? :-) I'm hoping it's Cash's age (21 months) and as he gets older he'll just let me get on with things! x

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  18. Heather, I think it's a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire whoever we go with!

    Deer Baby, I thought I had more patience!!

    Mwa, I love the idea of time-outs! Sadly mine chose to cry if I try to disappear to the loo!

    Susan, thank you, I'm glad it's not just me! x

    Nickie, yes, I know I'm not alone. Sometimes it does feel like all the Other Mothers are like Mary Poppins though!! x

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  19. The Mad House, oh that's so funny!

    Mari, good luck with your move! We have found someone who seems to care now. We'll see what happens next x

    Michelloui, I'm normally pretty calm, but have realised how stressful this move has become, I'm sure that's why I have a short fuse at the moment! x

    Mummy, thanks for the hugs. I'm looking forward to wine and Eurovision tonight to help me calm down! x

    Josie, it turns out I'm quite a dragon when I've run out of patience! :-) x

    Baby Genie, oh that's shocking. That's beyond naughty! I love your idea of asking for our conservatory. Hehe :-) x

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