This Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) thing is pretty new to me and it hasn’t taken me long to realize I’m not cut out for it. Not that I ever thought I was! I give my girlfriends (and others) who do it a lot of credit. Those with help… you don’t count – ha! But I say it all the time – I’m a better mom because I work full-time. AKA – Gianni is still alive because I work full-time… ;) Kidding. Kind of.
Taking care of a newborn is a piece of cake compared to a 3 ½ year old. The few days/weeks that G and I have been home together, I’ve tried really hard to place some structure on his day because he needs it. We would work on his word book (thank you LGT), writing, coloring, reading and playing outside, but what else is there to do? You can’t ‘go’ somewhere every day. Here’s what happened when I left the room for 1 minute. I came back to G saying “SURPRISE MOMMY” and marker all over his face. Luckily they were washable J
During my time at home with G, I struggled giving him the attention he needed throughout the day. You know in-between the feedings, changings and rocking. He was ok most of the day, but I felt guilty not doing things with him. We knew we needed to get G enrolled in school again because he has way too much energy and needs structure. Not to mention, he’s been in school 5 days a week for almost 2 years now. Oh and I was beginning to lose my mind. Not because he was doing anything wrong, but I just couldn’t give him full attention and keep him stimulated (without the television) all day. Well, I’m happy to say that today is G’s first day at school in the burbs. He’s going to go full day, 3 days a week so I’ll still have 2 days a week with him. We’ll try this out and see how it goes. He really did well at the exploration day last week, but of course today he pulled the “don’t leave Mommy” on me. I swear… He only does that to me because he knows it gets me. I’ll be calling there in about an hour or so to check in on him.
So, those of you that are home with your children, what do you do with them all day?
Like you, I am a better mom because I am not home with my kids all day! I thank god everyday for those teachers who have the patience and jobs to deal with my crazy man! Good Luck at your new school G!
ReplyDeleteExactly, right?! Speaking of your crazy man - Happy Birthday Jackson!!
DeleteI wish I could have seen your face!!!! And I agree structure and discipline is key. But I will probably have kids who hate me - and my OCD! ;) G is a boy too, so he has an extra layer to deal with! hehe
ReplyDeleteM,
ReplyDeleteDon't feel guilty about feeling like you have to provide G with something to do all day, all the time. It's important for him to find things to do on his own as well, and learn to entertain himself. Give him a couple of choices of things to do and let him go at it. Of course, not without the occasional "peek-in". I learned quickly that doing this with a boy is FAR MORE difficult than it was with a girl. I could give Laynie three things to do in her room and she was set for a good 20 mins of self-play. Jack's been a work a progress. But don't give up! He needs to learn that self-reliance :)
And on the flip-side, I have no idea how you full-time worker/full-time mommies do it. My house would look like a frat house and I'm pretty sure we'd be eating Ramen every night like them too! But that's what makes us great! It works for everyone :)))