Sunday, July 27, 2008

Extreme Parenting

Sandy Hands by gina.blank

I am home from my five-day, four-night respite adventure with my girlies. I had a ton of fun, and would totally do it again for N&S the next time they go out of town. That being said, it has been nice to sleep in today, to take it slow, to enjoy the quiet space that is my home. The week has ensured me that I will be an effective mother one day (not that I had any significant doubts, but being a mom and being an early childhood educator are not the same thing), and has also encouraged me to appreciate being child-free just a little bit longer.

It was interesting to serve a role as a parent this week. Working with children in a play-based educational setting, I know what's expected of me. Most of the time, I know what I need to carry out in the time I am spending with that child (usually a three-hour block). I know how to make the time I work with children meaningful, productive, and fun. But spending 24 hours a day with children is another story all together. I know I am expected to take care of all the basic needs, ensure safety and well-being, and have fun with them, but more often I wondered so many things. Am I letting them watch too much TV? How much should I let S play on her own, and how much should I be setting up activities to do with her? How much one-on-one does P need when she's not in her therapy time? Do they think it's boring when I have to go down and do laundry? Do they think I'm in their face too much?

I ended up presuming that I balanced everything out all right, because they were still happy by the last day, and still wanted to be around me. As you can see from the photos, we were definitely active! All I wanted to be sure of was that Aunty Gina would still rock by the end of the week, and I think I managed to succeed in reaching that goal.



1 comment:

Sara said...

Glad you survived! I've recently set up a chore chart for myself that includes such things as "read to kids for 20 minutes," 1 hour of housework," "do a learning activity with Reilly," etc. so I know I'm getting things done and not just wandering through each day. :) It's an adventure, huh?