Rest (verb)
To rest is to take a moment any where, any way you can to not actively parent, work, or otherwise engage in the 752 tasks that call for your attention at any given moment. Rest can be hard to come by, especially for working mothers, so it must often be carefully sought out and taken advantage of when found.
See also: break, temporary insanity, sleep, almost asleep, REM sleep, stopping at a red light, waiting at the doctor’s office
The average one-year-old baby boy is 29 inches tall and 23 pounds. My 4-month-old baby boy is 29 inches long and 21 pounds. If I had time or energy to think about betting, I’d bet that he’ll top 30 pounds by his first birthday and be, oh - I don’t know - 33 inches long. That would be the size of a hefty 2-year-old. That’s my boy!
Working Mommy Guilt is very real. Sure it seems like an excuse to spoil your child or be lax on discipline, but if you think that – you’ve probably never actually worked away from home for more than fifteen hours a week.
My friend Shanna went back to work after three years at home. She’s never worked more than a few hours a week since having her oldest who happens to be Jake’s age. Now she is working full-time as a high school librarian. She is suffering from Working Mommy Guilt in a big way. She got a membership to the Y with childcare. She was going every day for months. She went back to work and hasn’t been since – she just can’t stand the thought of leaving her girls in the childcare for one more hour. I don’t blame her.
I don’t go to church because I don’t like the idea of childcare for one hour to attend a church service by myself. (Mike won’t go.) I’d rather spend that hour with my boys. This feeling was even more powerful when I was working full-time.
1.Your toddler asks for a banana. You peel the banana. Your infant fusses a bit, so you walk over and try to hand him the banana. Your toddler and husband look on like you’re insane – which you are after four months of sleep deprivation.
2.Your toddler has a dirty diaper. You interrupt his play to clean it up. You bundle the diaper, kiss the toddler and head off in search of a plastic bag for proper disposal. On the way back from the garage you see your toddler contentedly playing again – with a bare bottom. It seems you completely forgot to put a new diaper on.
Yes, both of these happened to me today. And yes, I’m exhausted.
On that note, I’m going to bed for another six or (hopefully) seven hours of much interrupted sleep.
Night! *yawn*
At long last, my PreschoolRock.com section website, Potty Training, is live!
I am the new Potty Training writer, and looking over my new site I am struck by a single resounding thought:
I need to get a new picture of myself…
Just remember, this too shall pass...
