Wait a Minute!
Are you like me? You opted out of a career and chose to stay home with your kids. Maybe you felt your daycare costs and time spent away were not justified. If they were, maybe you simply felt it more important to be home, where you can make a positive impact on your kids lives. Whatever the reason, you are home with them now, and they love it. And, most days, for the most part, so do you.
But…maybe…not ALL days…?
Do you ever wonder why you left that job in the first place?! You had a coffee break (a what?). A lunch break (you mean there’s more than just PB&J??). And the opportunity for adult conversation (“No honey, you can’t put beads in your nose”). And they all came without a constant serenade of “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!!”
Don’t get me wrong, I love sitting down with my kids to read a story or work on an art project. But, I’ve made a HUGE discovery. I’m a leaps‑and‑bounds better mother when I can have a “Mommy Minute,” here and there, for something I enjoy or that connects me to the world outside my home. Don’t we serve our kids best when we're feeling OUR best? You bet.
O.K. Now what?
Take painting. Do you enjoy it? Great! Borrow the kids easel during naptime. Have a thing for poetry? Get out your favorite collection and set the kids to their favorite activity (mine didn't even know I was taking this picture!). Maybe you even plan to re‑enter that world-of-work someday? Keep up those skills while the kids sleep – take an on-line class.
This blog is dedicated to you, the stay-at-home mom choosing to prioritize your families’ needs above your own career. Being home with kids doesn’t have to mean the end of your sanity and every shred of your unique and intelligent self. Stay-at-home-mom life should be a rewarding experience, but not only for your kids - for you too! And with NO GUILT attached.
Now, go pluck those beads out of your son’s nose.
posted by Beth @ 9:29 PM
3 Comments:
At 4:12 PM,
Jeanna said…
Have found even the most hyper kid loves rhyming words. Have played word games with placemats at restaurants and at home at the kitchen table. It's a sort of poetry, and seems to amuse them when you and the kids want something new.
My nephew especially loved making up "poems" with words that rhymed with -ibble.
At 11:05 PM,
Beth said…
Shannon, you hit on one of those issues that I think all parents struggle with! Personally, I'm not against video games at all, my son has one, but wouldn't say I use it as a babysitter. He gets to have time with it when I approve, and it's always when I'm around.
I think there are times when they come in very handy. If you MUST get something done or have to make an important phone call, and can't be interrupted, for example, is a great time to let them have time with their game. And you have the power to choose the video games your kids are using, so playing one doesn't at all have to equal negative exposure.
At 10:58 AM,
My Urban Child said…
A Kids Easel is in some ways crucial to a young child's development. In fact they make them for kids of all ages. Not just for learning and for teaching, other types of easels such as whiteboard or chalkboard easels, or an artistic/painting easel will help your child develop with more confidence and ease.
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