Mom, mom, MOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!

Well, I thought I was ahead of the game, as it is Wednesday and I'm a-bloggin'. But then I realized I didn't blog last Thursday. Please forgive my offense, as it was Gracie's birthday, annnnnd she was sick all week which means mom didn't get much done but snuggling on the couch.
So today as I was on the elliptical, catching up on some DVR, Gracie walks downstairs and informs me she needs immediate help with her homework. I find this odd for two reasons; the first being she had already told me her chores (including homework) were done when she was planted in front of the television getting her 'Good Luck Charlie' fix not 20 minutes previous to this new discussion, and secondly, because every time I get on the elliptical (or net book, or telephone) she needs my attention. Immediately. So just like any other day I'm on the elliptical and she tries to interrupt, I tell her " This is my time. In 45 minutes you can ask me all the question you want, but you have to wait". Big frown. Because, of course, her need is immediate.
She isn't the only one in my house who is guilty of this offense, so I am left asking myself, where in the heck did I go wrong in the parenting I do, to make my kids so dang insensitive to my needs and my time.
Of course, I know that I'm the perfect parent, so it can't be MY parenting skills {looks over at husband}.
I realize, it's kids in general who are self involved, because that's just where they are in their development. Even Patience, who is 17, is still very much self centered and oblivious to respecting anyone elses time. When she asks for something, she needs it 10 minutes ago, and she expects everyone to comply. I can't even begin to describe how annoying it is. Even more annoying is after fighting with Gracie for a good 2 minutes on why she needed to skip the area in her homework she was having issues with and move on, when I did go up and help her, she could actually do it on her own. Big frown again, only this time from me.
Sometimes I want to scream "do you even realize how much time I spent doing things for YOU today!?" Sometimes I do actually scream that. And then everyone looks at me like I'm a crazy person, because of course they don't know how much time I spent doing things for them, they were too busy doing there own thing. They don't see the hours put in at PTA, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, planning, organizing schedules. That's just what MOM's do, right?
I think, by far, the most frustrating thing, though is when I am clearly in the middle of something, be it typing, talking,cooking, what-have-you, and Derek will be in THE SAME ROOM and the kid(s) will shout "Mom". "Mom, can you (insert dumb question here). Mom! Mom! Mom! Are you kidding? Why don't they ever shout "DAD!"?
We try so hard, when they're cute little balls of baby chub, to get them to say it. Constantly repeating "mama, maaaama, ma-maaa", and always so dejected when they inevitably say "da-da". Ohhhh, but not to worry, as they will spend the next forever years shouting "MOM!" There are days when I really think I can't handle one more mom call.
The funny thing is, I can't remember a time when I wasn't "mom", because I've been one for so long. And no matter how frustrated I get at those little shenaniganizers,
my world revolves around their goofball antics.As much as I'd like for them to use "Dad" more, we all know it just won't happen. I'm mom. I make things happen, I get shiz done, and I answer when they shout out.
Hey, out of all the things I've been called, "Mom" is by far not the worst.