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Published On: Aug 25, 2004 09:37 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Aug 25, 2004 09:37 PM
Parenting as Triage
It is almost too late for me to put one word
after another, but Raven is doing some updating for the La Quinta website that
has to be done at an hour when not so many people would be accessing the
website, and I'm showing solidarity or
something...
Søren had his six month check up, he continues to struggle with a diaper rash and may be one of those children who gets an ear infection every time he is in a room that has germs in it, but otherwise, at 21 lbs 9 oz and 28 inches, he is a healthy, thriving kid.
I get made fun of in our postnatal yoga class because I can nurse while attempting such postures as the tree... I've tried explaining that a lot of mothering three kids is being able to do several things at once. My friend Lillian recounts suddenly being aware that she was nursing, playing a game with her four year old, correcting her ten year old's homework, editing something on the computer and talking on the phone and realizing that doing any two of these things would freak the average man out. And I remember before having children being unable to cook a dinner with more than two dishes because I just couldn't do more than one thing at a time.
That said, as Søren gets heavier I prefer to stay in one place while nursing. Immobilization has its disadvantages, however. Xander wanders off from wherever Søren and I have gone to join him, and gets quiet -- too quiet.
Next I hear him asking "Mom, is this fabric?" He approaches, something soft and grey in his hand -- relief! it's just dryer lint. No, wait, it's the color of his shirt, where popsicle hasn't dripped on it, and he has scissors in hand -- yes, he's cut a swatch. At least I don't have to worry about getting the popsicle stain out.
I don't know what I would have to do to prevent this, but I ask, one more time "What are scissors for?" "Paper." "That's right. Throw that t-shirt away. We don't cut t-shirts."
I take a deep breath and remind myself that during my first two pregnancies I prayed for sweet, funny, creative, smart children. Only with this last one did I throw in a clause "with a healthy respect for my boundaries."
We're enjoying a visit now with the boys' great aunt, my father's older sister Sara, who resides in Manila. It's fun having visitors because you get to see your town through fresh eyes as you show it off, and also, perhaps your children. I enjoy Sara's interactions with my children, remembering how, when I was a child, she was one of my favorite adults for always treating me with the same respect she would show a grown-up. We took Xander and Søren to the Women's Museum while Aodán was off finishing his last day of school, and I have to admit to having a strong emotional response to the museum, seeing the stuff of women's history, inspired by the strength and diversity that it is the museum's mission to show. And I love getting to share that with a son of mine.
Søren had his six month check up, he continues to struggle with a diaper rash and may be one of those children who gets an ear infection every time he is in a room that has germs in it, but otherwise, at 21 lbs 9 oz and 28 inches, he is a healthy, thriving kid.
I get made fun of in our postnatal yoga class because I can nurse while attempting such postures as the tree... I've tried explaining that a lot of mothering three kids is being able to do several things at once. My friend Lillian recounts suddenly being aware that she was nursing, playing a game with her four year old, correcting her ten year old's homework, editing something on the computer and talking on the phone and realizing that doing any two of these things would freak the average man out. And I remember before having children being unable to cook a dinner with more than two dishes because I just couldn't do more than one thing at a time.
That said, as Søren gets heavier I prefer to stay in one place while nursing. Immobilization has its disadvantages, however. Xander wanders off from wherever Søren and I have gone to join him, and gets quiet -- too quiet.
Next I hear him asking "Mom, is this fabric?" He approaches, something soft and grey in his hand -- relief! it's just dryer lint. No, wait, it's the color of his shirt, where popsicle hasn't dripped on it, and he has scissors in hand -- yes, he's cut a swatch. At least I don't have to worry about getting the popsicle stain out.
I don't know what I would have to do to prevent this, but I ask, one more time "What are scissors for?" "Paper." "That's right. Throw that t-shirt away. We don't cut t-shirts."
I take a deep breath and remind myself that during my first two pregnancies I prayed for sweet, funny, creative, smart children. Only with this last one did I throw in a clause "with a healthy respect for my boundaries."
We're enjoying a visit now with the boys' great aunt, my father's older sister Sara, who resides in Manila. It's fun having visitors because you get to see your town through fresh eyes as you show it off, and also, perhaps your children. I enjoy Sara's interactions with my children, remembering how, when I was a child, she was one of my favorite adults for always treating me with the same respect she would show a grown-up. We took Xander and Søren to the Women's Museum while Aodán was off finishing his last day of school, and I have to admit to having a strong emotional response to the museum, seeing the stuff of women's history, inspired by the strength and diversity that it is the museum's mission to show. And I love getting to share that with a son of mine.
Posted: Sat - June 7, 2003 at 12:46 AM