The Walking Dead is one of my favourite shows. Actually, my entire family are avid fans. We were so excited to see the season premiere this past Sunday. (And then horribly traumatized, but that’s another post.) Anyway, as we watched, I began to realize that the Walking Dead is exactly like parenting. Well, maybe a little more bloody, but otherwise pretty much the same.
I am happy to say I have another article running on Her View from Home this week.
Have you ever had one of those moments where you wish you had responded differently? Well, this is about one of those times. This one has been brewing for a while, and I finally found the brain power to articulate my feelings.
Here is an excerpt:
It all started with a pink pool toy. It was just an ordinary toy, but this one pool toy made me question my values and my deeply held beliefs. It took me down a peg.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a little bit.
During the summer, my husband, one-year-old son and I took a short vacation in a nearby town. We were staying in a hotel with a nice pool and I had bought the perfect pool toy for our son. It was a small boat, with holes so he could stick his legs through and float around the pool. There was just one problem. I had left that toy at home.
Determined to enjoy the pool, I sent my husband across the street to Walmart to buy another one. He came back shortly and tossed the bag on the sofa. I opened the box and my heart sunk.
To the Mom with the rambunctious toddler at music class:
I see you chase your toddler around the room. Other children sit in the circle, clapping their hands, but your little curly-haired boy insists on running around the room instead. I see other parents watching him. Some are smiling but some are quietly judging.
I see your patience running thin. You are quietly trying to re-direct him into the activities, but he stubbornly refuses to do anything besides run. Some parents are openly judging now. They watch your son, shake their heads and continue singing, surely wondering why you are here if your son can not sit for the class.
Not me. No, I’m not a saint. I do my fair share of judging, like most of us. In this scenario, I just see something else. Continue reading
Disclaimer: Kids and dogs are very different. I know this. I have gotten in trouble comparing kids with dogs before. There are some key differences. Like, one can be left in a kennel. Which one is that again? Hmm, better Google that.
Anyway, where was I? Oh, right – kids and dogs. I now have one of each and I can tell you that they are quite similar in a lot of ways. Or maybe that is just mine?
Everyone with small children knows that your life completely changes. Keeping your small human(s) alive takes priority, which leaves you with not much time for yourself. I think most new parents find themselves missing their old lives at some point.
What I miss most isn’t eating dinner at a regular speed. It’s not using the bathroom alone and it’s not sleeping in. What I miss most is playing the piano.
I have been playing the piano since I was seven years old. What started as a hobby turned into a passion, which turned into a career and an identity. I used to play for 3 hours a day. Now I am lucky if I play 3 hours a year. You know why? It’s not the lack of motivation and it’s not the lack of desire. It is because of kids – mine and other people’s. Continue reading
Okay, full disclosure: I am not an old person. Well, at least not according to me. My students will tell you that I am the oldest person they know. (Teenagers think everyone older than 20 is ancient.) I do, however, have a few old person tendencies and these have only been enhanced by my status as a new parent.
Since I went back to work, I have been doing more “old-personing” than usual. “Old-personing” is a slippery slope, you see. It starts with an afternoon nap and suddenly you’re up at 5 am counting the hours until you can watch Jeopardy and go to bed. This, my friends, is “old-personing.” Are you guilty of this too?
Here are the ways I “old-personed” this week: Continue reading
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