subject: A Break For Mothers Of Small Children [print this page] A house full of preschoolers is enough to make anyone want ear plugs and sedatives. These years are hectic ones full of chaos and fun. Even though young children are crazy and physically exhausting they are also innocent, loving, and full of wonder and excitement for the world. Their imaginations and curiosity make for fun walks, a new look at the world around us and to experience the joy that little things like a caterpillar can bring.
I found a small window of opportunity for myself by taking my kids to a fast food restaurant every Wednesday afternoon, and letting them play while I read and wrote and relaxed. We would go after the noon crowd thinned out sometimes even after naps Those places are pretty empty at 3:00 in the afternoon. I would watch them play, comment on all their little "watch me mom" but still find time to cut coupons, read the ads, make menus, write letters and generally organize my life. They would sometimes play upwards of two hours. Due to the fact that we missed the lunch hour, we would often just get cookies, a drink or something small off the dollar menu.
Sometimes I would invite a friend and we would sit and talk, but often I just enjoyed time to organize. My children are all older now, and those days of mischief and merriment have been replaced by the silence I thought I longed for. My days are organized and quiet but I would trade them all for the joy and pleasure of small children being around. They go all too quick. Teenagers don't want to play on the playground or at the park. I miss that.
The funny byproduct of all this is that when they were little I didn't want them to have too much sugar in their diet, so when they would get orange soda or a orange drink, I would always mix it half with water. To this day, originating with our afternoons at the fast food restaurant, all of our children like their kool-aid and non-carbonated drinks very diluted.
Childhood is precious, busy and noisy, but the relationships last a lifetime and my personal time did come, I just no longer longed for it.
by: Art Gib
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