Taking the Time

In the never ending quest to maintain perspective, I realize that being a parent puts you on the front line of that battle. We have been incredibly busy lately with all that is going on, so much so that it is easy to remain focused and allow other areas fall by the wayside. This is especially true when it comes to making time to play with the kids.

A is fairly independent and generally likes to read or go off and play in her own world, but N wants to be more interactive. Whenever he asks to throw the ball or toss the frisbee, he's met with the same refrain, "I'm too busy." The cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon...

Now don't get me wrong, we spend an inordinate amount of time with our kids being homeschoolers and all, but truth be told, it doesn't take a lot of time to just stop what you're doing and pay attention to what your kids are asking. Sure, it would be much easier to ignore them and tell them to go away, but you have to remind yourself why you're doing things in the first place, and at least in this household, we made a conscious decision to put our family first.

I will say this-life sure was easier before we started the Grateful Dumpling, but you can't whine about the past... well, maybe a little.

Anyway, I've vowed to make sure that N knows he's being heard and that his requests are at least acknowledged and his questions are answered, and let me tell you, he's got plenty of questions. Sometimes it's exhausting just listening to a constant barrage of questions or statements, never mind answering them, but it's good that he's curious, and we want to encourage him to look at the world around him in awe and not to be afraid of asking the big questions.

It makes life worth living.

So far, so good, and I think it's been working well. I've found that it's good for me to stop when I'm frantic to take a break and play with N, and often A will join in so we have family fun time. It doesn't take much time, and best of all, it's fun. It also helps me to decompress a little, and I don't feel like such a jerk when I blow the kids off because I'm too busy. A win-win situation, wouldn't you say?

Truth be told, the kids are not demanding, and they don't ask for something very often, so when they do, isn't it a parent's duty to take the time to at least listen to them? I think it is.

Now, if I could just remember what N wanted for dinner tonight, I'll be in business.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to chris gilbert for the pic.