The Balancing Act Called Motherhood

As well as re-creating our whole house (well, that's almost how it feels), I've been pondering the dilemma of modern motherhood lately.  Or perhaps I should say modern parenting because Dads get their fair share of this one too.

You know what I'm talking about; the balancing act between work and home, hands-on and hands-off, nurturing and discipline, child's needs and parent's needs... and on and on it goes.

When we moved here I expected to be able to find a great Family Day Carer (although, I didn't expect anyone to live up to SuperCarer's standards really), then get a job and complain about how hard it is to balance work and motherhood.

But it hasn't quite worked out that way.

So for me, right now, the balancing act is particularly between my needs and the Little Big Fella's needs.  And I don't think the balance is great just now.

I'm an introvert.  That doesn't necessarily mean I'm shy - it means that when I'm exhausted or overwhelmed or basically need to recharge, I need to be alone.  And at the moment, that's just not happening.

Instead, I'm getting constant touch (mostly licks actually - from the Little Big Fella ??? and the dogs), constant interruption (normally with requests for food or to call a friend to play with), and no chance to recharge.

And it's making me an absolute cranky pants!!!

Obviously, for all our sakes, I need some time out.  Because our balance is out!

So what do I do?

Well, for starters, tonight the Big Fella and I made sure the dishes were done as soon as dinner was finished.  That takes the evening load off, just that little bit.

Also, luckily, the Little Big Fella was pretty tired tonight and crashed in bed as soon as he'd had his shower.

Then the Big Fella and I watched a TV show together before he went off to work.  I painted my nails at the same time (it's weird that a bit of care and attention to your nails can re-set your head).

And now I'm taking some time to read a bit of parenting stuff online (like this one about guilt, and this one about the core of parenting) and blog about my failures :-)

The house is quiet and nothing is demanding my attention.  It's not late so I don't feel guilty or concerned about how tired I'll be tomorrow.

I feel relaxed and re-set and ready to take on the challenge again tomorrow.

And you know there'll be a new balancing act to conquer tomorrow, because that's what happens in this life they call "parenting" - there's always a challenge!