That's sort of an oxymoron isn't it? How can you be present when you are at work all week?
Therefore it's even more important to be present when we are actually with our kids. This is often a tough one for me, one I struggle with. I get so few moments during the week to sit down and give the little guy my full attention.
I know it's better to sit at the breakfast table and eat our meal together, instead of packing lunches and making coffee. Sit down, slow down, enjoy the time.
I know it's more important to play baseball and play in the yard than to read the mail and do the dishes.
I know that it is more important to talk incessantly about cars than to check my blackberry :)
It's hard to put that device away, to let dinner wait 30 minutes, to not check e-mail, to prepare lunch the night before. But those few moments make such a difference to our kids. I get to go to a great job every day at work. I get to come home to a wonderful kid every day. I need to remember to to be as present for him as I am to my job! The most important this I do every day is interact with A.
Any great tips to share for working moms?
Unfortunately, I have no tips. I'm a SAHM of one toddler and sometimes I wish I could go back to work, but then I think about how little time I'd have for all the daily life stuff and realize it wouldn't make life any easier on us.
ReplyDeleteEven as a SAHM I find myself having a hard time "being present". I set a schedule for things that need to be taken care of and I try to set aside at least one weekday that I don't do much housework/chores to just hang out with her. Go to the zoo, museum, outside to play with a water table and bring that phone out to take a crap ton of pictures :)
Being present is tough for most of us--we are either fretting about something that may or may not happen in the future, or going over and over something in the past that we can't change... when the only moment that counts is this one.
ReplyDeleteHopefully your writing will help you hone in on the present more and more. Good luck with your lovely blog, Maghan.
So important to focus on what's important -but sometimes hard to put into practice! Great reminder!
ReplyDeleteScheduling and allowing for changes really helps. Making a rule to always be at their level. If they are on the floor, be on the floor. Let them take the lead. That will help get the most out of even a short amount of time together.
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