Over the past couple of weeks, Daniel has frequently come up to me, taken my hand and said 'Please play with me, Mummy'. Often this is when I'm doing the washing up or cleaning, but also sometimes when I'm playing with Eliza. It has made me question if I am spending enough time doing things with my kids. Am I hanging out with them enough? Am I doing things with them, not just for them? Am I creating memorable experiences for them? Am I making a positive impact on their lives? Can I do more?
I see other mums doing so much with their kids - cooking, painting, adventures, gardening, creating. I see other mums interact so much with their kids and my own at Mothers' Group. One mum in particular is just amazing! She has 2 kids, yet has the energy to do so much. When we go to her place she is always read to play with the kids and provide activities for them - craft, playdough, bikes, different toys, music box, etc. I watch these people and wonder how am I perceived? I wonder what can I change. Then I look around my house and see cleaning, washing up, clothes to wash, clothes to put away, weeding to happen, meals to cook/prepare. I think about the blog, the sewing project, books that I want to read, time to spend with James, tv shows to watch. So much that I want to do and so little time to do it all.
So what can I do? I can try and change some things. Jens told me to try and set aside some specific time each day with the kids. It's ok to say yes to playing, but also to say not at the moment or no. I am fortunate that Daniel enjoys playing independently and Eliza seems to be heading the same way, but I want to be more present. Funnily enough, after Jens told me that information, Eliza went to bed so I asked Daniel if he wanted to play outside with me. He was very excited and ran to grab his ball. We both ventured outside, he kicked the ball twice then chose to sit next to the letterbox pulling the petals off flowers, then came up and decided to start weeding. I was present, I was there but it wasn't how I thought it would go. Each time I asked him to come and play with the ball he said 'no, I'm ...' and told me what he was busy doing. I guess to offer the option is also important. To remember that this time is precious, it will go so quickly, so to take advantage of times that I can stop and pause. The washing will wait, the house can get sorted later. It is just hard to try and re-train my thoughts and expectations on myself.
Anyway, just some thoughts running through my head. Here are some pics of moments where I am with my kiddies.
 |
| Morning snuggles on Daniel's bed |
 |
| My gorgeous boy |
 |
| My cutie girl |
 |
| Stacks on Mummy! |
 |
| Both girls dressed up |
No comments:
Post a Comment