Thursday, October 6, 2011

A Message for Moms of Small Children


It turns out I spend a lot of my Time thinking about how much Time I have.  I suspect there are many moms out there that can relate.  This thought process will include contemplation of whether I spend too much Time sleeping in the morning and how I should probably be getting up earlier. (I could get so much more accomplished if I was up at 5, right?!)  It includes thoughts about how I can make better use of our Time before school in the mornings, and how I could possibly streamline mealtime.  I spend a lot of Time feeling guilty for how I am not spending enough Time in the Word or reading with my kids.  Lately I’ve been wishing I had more time to blog and to hang out with my husband. 

Today at Mom’s Bible Study we talked about Time and how we should probably be spending more time just getting to know our kids.  There was a lot of talk about perspective and priorities.  It made me think about what my priorities are when I come home.  What do I do with my Time?  

My house is rarely cleaned up really good to start with.  This isn’t a self-help session on why, but it’s pertinent to the conversation because I’m already walking into a room that is screaming for my Time.  However, the first thing that is addressed is:  What are the needs of my children right now?  #1.  Is it time for anyone to eat?  Are my kids hungry?  Is it time for the baby’s bottle?  #2 then is, does anyone need to be cleaned?  Diapers or baths anyone?  And #3 tackles sleep.  Is it naptime?  Is it bedtime?  Is anyone especially crabby that they require immediate attention?  

Ok, so that was my kids.  Then my husband gets the same attention.  :) Right?  I mean, if he has just come home, those are the issues that need to be addressed first.  If he walks in the door filthy, at least one of those things needs to be rectified before I can hand him a child.  

Lastly then I ask if I need food, a shower, or a nap.  Haha, actually that last one was funny because that is rarely addressed.  Anyway, it turns out these things take a lot of time!  But if I haven’t had a shower in over a day and a half I am not functioning very well.  And now look – the dishes that come from the appetite and the clothes that come from the dirt are waiting for you when you are finished meeting everyone’s needs.  We haven’t even touched homework, reading, piano practice, playtime, picking up toys, or a devotion time.  Not to mention mental sanity events including a phone call with a girlfriend or a visit to grandma’s house.  

This isn’t a list of excuses or justification for my kitchen table looking the way it does.  It’s simply a meeting with reality.  We spend a lot of time in “fairy-tale-land” as my 4-year-old says, but occasionally it’s a good idea to take a look at reality.  If you are beating yourself up because things don’t ‘look the way you want them to,’ take a break.  Look at what you’ve accomplished today.  Are your children safe?  Clean enough?  Fed?  Have you bathed in the last 36 hours?  Then cut yourself some slack.  The laundry will still be there when your husband is ready to hold the baby.  :)

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