Earlier
this week I found myself saying, “Mommy needs a time out”. The kids stopped dead in their tracks and
instantly stopped bickering. They
watched me with puzzled expressions as I walked out of the room. I went downstairs, into the bathroom, locked
the door, sat down and took 5 deep breaths.
I enjoyed the temporary silence.
I reset my brain. Dug deep to
find a little more patience. Took
another deep breath and went back out there.
It
was Sunday afternoon around 4:00, the time when you realize the weekend is almost over. The time where you are disappointed and
relieved all at the same time.
Disappointed because the weekend days of relaxing are almost over. Relieved because weekends with kids take on a
whole new definition of relaxing.
Birthday parties, play dates, ball games, practice, swimming, grocery
shopping, laundry; relaxing weekends now involve being in a state of constant motion. Relieved because the structure and routine of
the week often seem more relaxing.
One
Sunday, after a very busy weekend, the bickering was in an unending loop. You could tell that everyone’s patience was
fraying as a result of being a little tired, plus just spending a little too
much time together. I pulled the kids
together and got down to their level so I could look them in the eye. I said “We’ve had a fun weekend this
weekend. We’ve done a lot of fun things,
don’t you agree?” Heads started to
nod. “Ok, then let’s not ruin it all
now. We have a few hours before bed
time, so let’s try to finish the weekend on a good note.”
It
was a simple message and I left it at that.
Surprisingly it helped. We had to
have another reminder or two that evening, but it seemed to resonate with them. Or maybe it just helped me. Reframing the situation. Recognizing that the kids were getting tired,
and that I was tired too, helped. Realizing that tomorrow would bring its own
host of challenges and rather than rush into those prematurely, stay present in the
relaxing moments of Sunday night.
Heart-FULLy
yours,
Kacey
No comments:
Post a Comment