I love days like these. Filled with laughter. And so much love. When Em and Hero are the best of friends. When parenting seems effortless.
And then there are those other days. When nothing seems to go right. Heated words and tearful complaints. Cranky children. Unreasonable demands. The rushing around getting the zillion things packed for school (where do all the erasers and pencils disappear when you need them?!), the never ending piles of laundry to be sorted and ironed, the madness of juggling work and home and motherhood and marriage and me while trying to stay sane.
On those days, I have no positive energy. Such days are draining; completely exhausting. At the end of the day I try to analyse what went wrong. What it was that triggered the chaos. What I could have done to handle things better. But those days keep recurring.
How do you juggle all the balls and not have them all crashing down on your head?
16 comments:
Believe me ...it happens to me too!
same things , same thoghts! Mothers and theirs thoghts are the same all over the world!
I just try to start every day being positive and smiling at the mirror..sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't..but I keep being positive!
I'm afraid I don't have the secret of how to juggle it all (but if you do find it please share!), but I agree with Monika, all one can do is start each day anew - and not beat yourself up about the bad days too much!
My days of raising kids (3 boys) are over - and I am happy to say I survived! (we all did ...) Do not worry about it too much - your best is good enough, and even on those days when you suspect you did not give it your best - that is also okay. Each day starts anew with fresh opportunities! The draining days are necessary so that the great days are so much sweeter and so much more appreciated ...
"when parenting feels effortless"....those are the days to be cherished !! even with mine being 21 and 17, there are days that being a parent takes so much out of me...and I get frustrated and heated and want to shout, "haven't I taught you anything?".....and then I calm down remembering this is what I signed up for...and then there are days where I wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING.!.....but today....you can get them CHEAP !!!
You have some good suggestions here already. We have a combined family, totalling 6. There were definitely rip-out-your-hair days. But now that they are all raising families of their own it's clear my efforts were "good enough." It's also very rewarding to hear your words coming out of their mouths:):):). Be patient, do your best, and start each day anew. Also...spend more days like this. It refreshes everyone.
Sometimes you can't. You just have to learn to laugh at the craziness and keep picking up the balls.
I don't know how you mothers do it! I am not a mother and I find it difficult enough as it is. Just do what you can and enjoy the good with the not so good! I love the photos of Em and Hero-they look like they are having such fun!
I don't know...I'm not a mom yet, and since I've been laid off for a while, I haven't had any job to do besides a little freelance work. All I can do when I'm overwhelmed is keep plowing ahead, doing my best and hoping the end of the day will come quickly! :)
Let the balls crash down upon your head. Don't beat yourself up. When you're tired, rest. When you're joyful, celebrate. It's all part of the One. Beautiful children, that's the gift.
they will crash down and then be picked up again...it is the life of a mom...just be sure to rest your arms when you can...your children playing is so sweet!
Oh Kamana - I know just how you feel! Some days are so hard and frustrating and draining. How many times do I need to remind them to brush their teeth, and hair etc. Yet my little boys aren't so little anymore (8 and 11) and I know the day will come when I long for the days that I told them to brush their teeth...
Your beach shots are magical!
What sweet photos. I relate to your words!
Today was a combination of both for me. I was able to cheerfully deal with a cranky teething 1 year old, and a demanding and sassy 5 year old, among housework, business, and meals. But by 6pm the balls all came crashing down. The way I handled it was I ate dinner with my family and blew off some steam by going on a nice evening walk/jog. It forces me to really breathe and take deep breaths. Then I have clarity and patience again. I recommend this remedy, it makes me a better mommy! :)
sweet photos for sure. it's not always fun juggling - whenever it gets overwhelming, I try to see what balls I can let someone else hold for a bit.
I'm not a mother so I'm afraid I can't offer any advice, just admiration and perhaps a thought that even jugglers don't keep all the balls in the air all the time! What I do know is that I whinge about my job, which is just beyond manic at the moment, but I think what you (and all working mums do) is SO much more challenging AND so much more important. I watch my sister do all of what she does and I am just in awe. And from what little I've seen of your life here, your children seem loved, loving and lovely and to me that's a sign that all is really going pretty well and you are doing a great job. I think you should congratulate yourself. I do! Happy weekend and I hope we can arrange some soft days for you when you're in the country next week... :)
I can't really give you any advice as I'd love to know the answer myself. I definitely find that getting outside helps calm us both down when we're getting cranky. Your pictures are beautiful. I especially love the second one.
they crash onto my head all the time (but that's mostly towers of folded towels that i never put away in my laundry room...but i've taken to wearing a bicycle helmet around the house. it hurts less then. :-)
but seriously, i think everyone has those days...it's one of the things i love about blogging, that you read about others having them and feel less alone. :-)
Post a Comment