A friend recently made the comment that I put in so much work to get a degree just to stay home babysitting. But the work I put into that degree is nothing compared to what I find myself doing now. And besides, there's plenty that I learned while getting my degree that helps me now:
(1) If you want a clear answer you have to ask a specific question.
Example: "Cairn, look at this pile of sugar on the floor. I have to sweep it all up and put it in the trash can,
but I wonder how it got here. We bought this sugar today, didn't we? And it looks like some one poked a
hole in the bag. Some one poked a hole in the bag and made the sugar spill into a big pile that all needs to
go in the trash now. Who poked a hole in the bag?" "I did Mommy! It was Cairn!"
(2) It's OK to work your butt off to only get a 'C' and barely pass the class. Or, applied to me now: it's OK to have a messy house and be exhausted at the end of the day because you actually made it to the end!
(3) You don't have to answer every question asked.
(4) Partial credit is a savior.... because 2-year-olds don't know or need to know that there could have been more!
(5) Showing up with random snacks makes friends.
I'm pretty sure there's more... but there's also more of the semester to review.
Best of it all:
Cairn and Cerise play with each other and get the other to laugh so easily. When one is a sour puss the other can break her out of it almost effortlessy.
Also, being with the children helps me to see the magic of the world as they see it. The zoo is awesome fun, and Christmas is amazing with the lights and the gifts and the homemade candies.
Worst of it all:
This one's a doozy. August was one of the bleakest months of my life.. a month that extended well into October. My mom went home. Grant went back to school. Rebekah and Genie began coming in the days. I wasn't getting sleep at night. And that all magnified my postpartum depression. I don't want to ever go down that road again.
But I did learn from it. I learned to get out of it I need to (1) every day pray for help, (2) every day read the scriptures (both of these I just needed to do better at than I was), and I needed ask for help (from friends... I tried from doctors but that's another story that you'll just have to ask me for if you want to know.)
And at the end of it all, I still have questions:
- When is it (if ever) ok to correct someone's parenting?
- How in the heck in the world am I supposed to potty train Cairn?
- Really, how long can a kid hold food in her mouth?
- How is it possible that alone I can get myself and the three girls ready in the car and to activities on time, but when Grant's around we end out running late and stressed?
No comments:
Post a Comment