I can’t help but feel daunted by the next few weeks of school holidays. With Dad back at work and the grandparents overseas, I feel I am flying very solo in the main parenting role. At two and a half Little Miss is relatively easy, amusements are simple, brother B is her idol that she follows everywhere, and she does and plays as he does. But the boy himself is another story. After the last few action packed weeks away his expectations are high. Every day he wants something to be planned and organised.
"What are we doing today?" He inquires first thing over breakfast cereal.
"Nothing, staying home" I reply.
I am eager to get back into a normalish routine. After living out of suitcases and being relaxed about the “routine” I need to get a grip on this parenting life again. And after being away, I really want to stay home. The washing is at crisis point (Little Miss sported a pajama top the other day, then had to wear B's huge pajamas to bed) plus the housework sadly beckons.
I am liking that little Miss is having a regular daily one and a half hour sleep after lunch. The better she sleeps during the day the better she sleeps at night. Plus I am making sure I use this time to spend one on one with B, but part of me wants him to get bored. I want him to use his own imagination and be inventive. I think it is important for him to not be entertained with activities all the time. He needs to learn to find his own way, to make up his own games, to use his brain, to be active in his own entertainment and not just a passive audience in someone else’s ideas.
Given some time with the TV off, B rediscovered old forgotten toys, an obstacle course is made for his bike, drawings are done and he wants to make biscuits. We do this together, he eats way too much icing.
I am telling myself it’s ok for him to get bored, he has to learn that life is what you make it.
4 comments:
NIce post. Yes kids need to become their own entertainment machines, rather than relying others to constantly feed them. Hopefully one-day B will read this, and understand that the lack of constant activities was to try and help him develop into a fully rounded person that helps improve the world.
As I don't have any children hence I can't really make a valid comment. But common sense is telling me that you're doing the right thing. You're actively encourging your children to become imginative and creating his own life. I'd say this is good parenting.
Thank you for the wonderful comments about my drawing. It helped me to know that I'm on the right track. I couldn't be more thrilled that you have noticed the way I used the white background to "highlight" the color red plus the little story!
Thanks again!
You are a very wise mother CF.
It is such a different world now than the one I grew up in.
We had to learn to entertain ourselves as there were very few gadgets to play with.
I feel B does not lack imagination, just look at the drawings on his blog.
No need to worry, your son and daughter are blessed to have chosen you for a mother.
And thank you for sending your love and light to my sick friend and sharing your wonderful story about your mother. It filled me with much joy.
Lots of love
Peggy xxx
The holidays throw you off course don't they? And we haven't even had our long summer one yet! I try to get a mixture of SC entertaining herself and us doing stuff together but its not always easy. Ask me how it's all going in August! The icing on the biscuits is making my teeth hurt just looking at it but Yum!
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