something south of angels

There is a phenomenon in our family and I believe it's not unique to us, I would love to hear from you if you too have this happen in your home. Tim takes the morning shift to allow me to sleep in, a side benefit to me taking all the night shifts during the insane years and even those that come these days due to bad dreams etc. The house is always quiet (well, maybe not always but almost always) when I wake up. The boys either happily playing together or eating breakfast or watching a show or movie. However, (this is the phenomenon that I am talking about), the minute I show my face, (once I get the hugs) there is a switch in the kids, the boys who moments before were sitting nicely and playing together are now jumping on top of each other and pile driving each other, tears, punches, kicks, cries of "Mummy". It happens every morning, or every time I am out and come home. Either Tim or the sitter will report 'angels' and I walk in the door to see something south of angels... what is the problem here?? A friend of mine and I talked about this and it happens in her home as well. Her husband (as with mine) report that all is well and then we show up.

So, is this something that the men and babysitters all gang up on mothers about? Is this just me? Is this some rare situation for my friend and I? Is this a giant lie, are the kids actually heinous nightmares before we arrive and we are just told how good they were?

Why is it neccesary to pick on your brother, stealing his favorite toy, until he cries, or jumping on him until he finally punches you in return and then come running to Mum for comfort... all during Mummy's first hot cup of coffee in the morning? Do they not yet have common sense? Is this the real problem? If this is indeed the main problem, then for those of you with older kids let me ask this... when does common sense kick in? At what magic age do children start to respect coffee time in the morning? When do they stop thumping each other and crying for Mummy's kisses to make it better?(not that I really mind the kisses part...). At what point do you become a Mum and not a slave who there to do their bidding? The demands of 'more_____' fill in blank with 'milk, juice, fishy's, cookies, yogurt, banana's...'

I talk a lot about the sweetness of these two boys, and they are, they are incredible gifts that I wouldn't trade for the world but there are moments, when they won't stop beating each other up, when they are driving each other (and me) crazy that I wonder if this is punishment of some kind? Why don't they do this for their Dad? Why don't they do this for their Grandparents? Why do they do this to the one person who does pretty much everything for them?

This is of course all said with some satire, I do realize that boys will be boys, and along wtih that comes a few fights and injuries, I just wish they would let me have ONE hot cup of coffee before they start in on each other, and maybe a coffee break later in the morning... and one before dinner... and one after dinner... :)