Dealing with a Houseful of Kids
If your house is like mine, you have the usual have to do’s, along with the I would like to do’s. I try to make everything work for everyone, but let’s face it, that is not always easy to do. Some of the things that make my daily life more manageable are simple on one hand but a complete pain on the other. I find it easier in the mornings when I get up to automatically start lunches before I do anything for myself. Get the husband all ready to go with lunch and a nice glass of tea. Let the puppy out to do his thing. Start waking up the older of the two kids in the house, and precede to fix his breakfast. Once his breakfast is complete and he is eating away, I get his daily wardrobe ready and make my way back to the kitchen. Once I make my way back to the kitchen I can concentrate some on getting a cup of coffee for myself. Start a load of laundry, wash a few dishes. See my wonderful hubby off the day, let the puppy back in, and then it is time to wake up the baby of the house. After getting him settled I usually start the car to prepare myself for getting out the door and make sure the school age child is at school on time. As if that isn’t enough for one morning after making my way back home with the baby in tow, it is now time to fix him some breakfast and start the regular household chores. Get the laundry from the wash into the dryer, make beds, spray down the bathroom, finish dishes, and vacuum the floors. In between all of this, it is crucial to dust, and take out trash. One would think it would be mid-day and time to relax for a few. But, that is not the case for the woman of the house. Somewhere in the day, you and I have to find time to prep dinner, run errands, and if you have a work from home job like I do, you still need to make some money for the household.
All of the things we deal with in a day as a mother/wife/lover/friend it is no wonder there isn’t a whole section of the population running around completely frazzled and bald from stress!
There needs to be more compromise and understanding in households today. There needs to be more help for the moms and caregivers of the world that live for their families and loved ones. A little help in between the compromise and understanding wouldn’t be a bad thing either. Is it too much to ask for a tad bit of help in morning, or a little help folding the piles of laundry that seem to come out of nowhere? No, it should not be too much to ask. However, it certainly is or seems that it is. More people need to get over the notion that things are just as they were 50 years ago or even 25 years ago. There are woman out there that do it all on their own. There are women out there that just don’t know how to ask other people in the house for help. There are also women out there that for whatever reason know they need help and understanding but refuse to ask for it.
I am here to say that we as wives and mothers and caregivers need to stand up and say HELP and LISTEN! We need to be willing to tell the others around us, that it is not the 1800’s and we are not going to give birth one minute and be back in the fields the next! We are not going to walk through driving rains to carry hot lunches to everyone!
I know this seems to be more targeted toward woman, but men and significant others can take the advice and form some understanding and support for the people in their lives that do so much but that is not recognized or that is not or at least seems not appreciated. Don’t be afraid to say to the love of your life, “Thanks Honey” “I appreciate that” or “Take a break, let me do those dishes”.
