Before I begin the new memories of 2009, I'd like to take a moment to address the comment I have heard endlessly during 2008. As random people approached me and learned from one way or another that I am a mother of three boys, whether it's because I have three boys attached to my hip while strolling along, or because one boy decides to create a scene which would draw attention to all of us, or simply because someone notices a cute kid and quickly realizes there are three (yes, I am a typical proud mother,) a very common remark usually followed...
"I don't know how you do it,"
in which my typical response is a laugh and something like, "Yea, I don't know how I do it, either. Ha ha ha!" (Yada, yada, yada.) I never really understood if that comment is a compliment or a statement of pity. Some people are more specific as they add, "I could never do it." And some people simply ask, "How do you do it?" It comes in all variations. And I realize that it isn't because I have three children. It's because I have three boys.
Well, the answer is revealed. This is how I do it:
I wake up in the morning, usually by my two older sons greeting me on our bed. They come lay with us until I can finally open my eyes completely, and my grogginess is almost gone. We all go downstairs for breakfast after I quietly close Owen's door to not wake him. The kids eat breakfast. Ben washes up and gets dressed for school as I pack his lunch and snack. Then he and Nathan play until the bus comes. Ben hops on the bus, and Nathan watches him leave. I put on a tv show for Nathan, more specifically Little Einsteins, while I have my coffee and breakfast in peace. Nathan and I go up to get Owen after my breakfast. (Most likely, Owen is in his crib humming until I get him, almost as if he's waiting for me.) We all get dressed, and Owen has breakfast. I play with them / read / do crafty things for a while when Nathan doesn't have school. (The days Nathan has school I drop him off, run errands or go home, then pick him up a couple hours later and proceed with lunchtime.) I give them a snack, and then it's free play and my time to work on the house, still interacting with them as I scurry around the place. It's soon lunch time and then book-time and finally naptime....and most importantly, my quiet time. Nathan wakes up an hour later (and sometimes an hour and a half if I'm lucky,) and we have our alone time for a good thirty minutes or more. Ben comes home, and I get Owen from his nap. (Once again, he waits for me. I'm not sure how long this will last, but it's awful nice of him to do so!) At this point, the brothers missed each other all day, so they play, and play, and play. Yes, this is also when they fight in the midst of playing, but that's all a part of their young life! It's homework time, so we do homework. Sometimes, Nathan and Owen join us, sometimes, they are content and engaged in their playing. It's time to make dinner which usually coincides with the time that they are starting to get hungry and a little cranky. Another educational tv show is a good option for this time block, and I am free to prepare a dinner as they wind down from their crazy play session. (I hope to incorporate them in the dinner-making process in the future, but haven't been doing so, yet. Maybe a new year's goal.) We sit down at the table, we pray, and we eat. We discuss our day...our favorite moments, and our not so favorite moments. We play, "What is your favorite...." game as we eat. And there are other very unique conversations that follow. After dinner and dessert, they ask if they may be excused and go off and play, again. They play, they dispute, they problem solve, they sometimes go to time-out, but they always play. Dad comes home, and they run to greet him. He eats dinner and shortly after whisks the boys upstairs, as he gets to spend his quality time with them while getting them ready for bed. (This works out very well, by the way!) I clean and straighten up downstairs. Dad reads to them, we tuck the boys in bed, tell them we love them, and say goodnight. (I have to add, they are very independent sleepers, which is something I enforced very early on, knowing it was going to be a very significant for us in the future.)
Obviously, this is a very generic overview of our day. It's the general schedule we follow that excludes the outings, errands, or other extra activities and events that happen. And, in the process includes moments that require an immense amount of patience and creative parenting that gets us through those trying situations. It's about keeping a predictable schedule and being certain to include some quiet time for me. It's about having fun with them and accepting their strengths, weaknesses and quirks. It's about reminding them of values and good/bad choices. I'll save those stories for future entries.
So, this is how I do it. By the end of this year, I'm sure things will be altered and tweaked and a bit easier, and I'll look back and think, "Man...how DID I do it???"
No comments:
Post a Comment