Another whirlwind weekend is over and, after all the chores
are done and the errands are run, I tend to feel more tired on Sunday than I do
on Friday after a long week at work.
The time with my son is flying by. He is a few days shy of
19 months now and he’s growing so fast. And as my husband and I grapple with
trying to get anything done, it makes my wonder how others make it look so
easy.
I see happy families with multiple children walking down the
sidewalk, everyone is perfectly groomed and well-behaved. I find it challenging
just to take a shower every day.
How do these people do it? How do they keep impeccable
homes, raise impeccable children and bring impeccable homemade dishes to every
potluck?
Perhaps I’m not meant to know the secret just yet, but I
have found things to focus on that help me take heart:
• I put the unnecessary chores aside (pretty regularly). Sure
it’s nice to vacuum every few days, but sometimes I just have to opt for play
time.
• I go out to eat. I know this can get expensive, but if I’m
smart in my restaurant and menu choices — and if I share my plate with the
kiddo — I save the muss and fuss of being away from him while cooking, then
having to clean up afterward.
• I let my boy be a helper. My tot is at that mimicking
stage, where he wants to copy everyone we do and be involved with everything we
do. He wants to touch, pull, push and grab to understand our world. So I ask
him to carry things or hold things and it brings a huge smile to his dimpled
face.
• I talk to him. Hey, just because he can only say about a
dozen words doesn’t mean we can’t carry on a conversation. He understands much
more than he can say — he can point to at least six parts of his body on
command — and is constantly babbling and pointing to things. I take the
time to tell him what things are and listen to him as he babbles. I want him to
know that I’m interested in what he has to say.
• Finally, I slow down. I’m always late when I have my son
with me, but it’s OK. Because at the end of my life I want to look back and
know that I took the time to cherish his little hand inside of mine, that I
took the time to laugh when he acts silly and that I snuggle with him every
chance I get.
In the end, I won’t be as accomplished and effortless as I
want to be, but I can be happy with appreciating all the special, unexpected
moments that motherhood brings.
— Sarah Leach is content editor of The Holland Sentinel.
Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
Hey Sarah, I saw those perfect families all the time too. I hated them. With four kiddies I spent a lot of time in the pediatrician's office. I was the mother who walked in holding the naughty child by the hand, the second child held the belt on the high school ski jacket I still wore (because it hid the puke stains), the third child was on my hip and the baby was in the car seat which I pushed along with my foot. Once in a while the children had matching socks. And on rare occasions, my hair was combed.
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