At the start of the summer I was so excited to be at home with the kids. We had no more school, no more work, and all the time in the world to relax and have fun together. Well, those exciting times lasted about two weeks before reality set in – the kids began to argue, whine, make a mess, and stay up late (which took away from my evening Becca time). I was talking to Sidney one day when someone asked me, “How is summer, Becca?”. I answered, “Ugh, the kids keep arguing and driving me crazy.”. To which Sidney replied, “According to your blog you were really excited to have them home.” That opened my eyes to the fact that, sadly, our summer honeymoon was over. I had a few realizations about why this was occurring:
- Miller was being very hard to handle due to the fact that he was having to constantly share me with his siblings. He and I were inseparable for most of the school year and now we were not the pair that we once were. Honestly, I was a bit sad about it as well.
- The kids were together constantly and were having to get used to their new reality at home. They were trying to figure out how they each fit into the picture.
- Quite frankly, I was getting bored. We were at home, but what were we really doing all day? They were swimming, playing, and eating while I was cleaning and doing dishes. BORING!
I decided that the only way that life was going to be bearable was for me to make some changes. I began to make the kids help me clean up the house. There is a Proverb that says, “Many hands make light work.” Amen! It only takes fifteen minutes to pick up if everyone helps. It is also a bit helpful when trash goes into the trashcan and not onto the counter, children. I also began to spend more time with each child. If Miller grabbed my hand and led me upstairs to play, then I went. If Wilson asked me to sword fight, then I took the weapon he handed me and swung it around for ten minutes. I have been spending quality time with them and it is filling their buckets. I am still trying to apply the same strategy with Faith, but she doesn’t necessarily ask me to play games or color with her. She wants time with me out of the house which is more difficult to do, but can be done. Just yesterday I realized that Faith wants to help me. In the last few days she helped me put together a lamp, make chicken nuggets, and cook eggs. She loves to help. Honestly, if I can get her to do that more often, then I have killed two birds with one stone – help around the house and quality time with my daughter.
I am still a bit bored. I spend most of my time planning our upcoming Disney trip or looking up home school curriculum. I can control those things, the future and my children I cannot control. However, things are going much better. The pendulum has begun to swing the other direction and I am thankful. I love my kids and I want to enjoy being with them. Oddly enough, it is sometimes difficult to let go of my own desires and to give the kids what they want – my time and attention. (I say that with a bit of sarcasm and a bit of unfortunate honesty.) A little bit of attention goes along way….and so does having friends over for them to play with. haha.