| Are you bored??? |
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I recently saw a “news” piece on some morning show. It was about this woman who printed an article about motherhood being boring. Since her article was printed, she has been vilified in the media. Here is a link about her story. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-07-30-bored-mom_x.htm It really made me think, and I think I totally understand her. First let me preface this by saying, “I love my daughter!!!” I never knew I could love like this. I also love my job as wife and mother. Staying home is the best job I’ve ever had. I am more satisfied with my life now than I ever was in the rat-race work world. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. But, sometimes motherhood is very boring. Does anyone really enjoy playing Candy Land 15 times a day? Or reading the same story over and over and over again? And I see the faces of the mothers at the library’s story time. They look bored out of their mind. The list of things I find boring could go on and on…..Blue’s Clues – boring, pushing the swing for more than 20 minutes – boring (I’ve seen Leah stay on for over an hour, so long she couldn’t stand up when she got off), coloring with broken crayons – boring…I think you get where I’m coming from. I can totally understand this woman. Her kids are now 10 & 12 and she finds them much less boring because they have more interests that interest her as well, such as jogging. I do not think she is a terrible mother for finding the things young children enjoy boring. I find them boring too. But what I think makes me a good mother is I do them anyway. And even though I am bored, I love that fact that I get to be bored. It means I get to spend the days with my child. I am here to raise her and shape her. I get to be with her the best 8 hours of her day. And you know what else, I’ve discovered? I can be a little more pro-active and things aren’t so boring. When I plan and prepare I can find things that interest me and her alike and we can have fun together. We have recently discovered Putt-Putt golf. Leah loves it and it is fun for me as well. Now that she is pedaling up to speed, we are going to give bike riding a try also. I do not have to just play Candy Land and color. There are so many other options out there that we both can enjoy. As she gets older, I’m sure there will be even more fun things that we can both enjoy. But yet, there will still be things that she enjoys that will bore me, and likewise, there will be things I enjoy that bore her. And I think that’s OK. We need to encourage our child’s interests, but we should not sacrifice our own interests in the process. Our children are individuals, but so are us moms. |
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