In a follow up to the last post, a list of parenting jobs that I am good at and not-so-good at:
Things I Can Be Counted On To Do Well:
- reading out loud
- tolerating messes related to crafty or imaginative projects
- baking
- helping tidy and organize
- playing board games or other games with definite rules and end times
- drawing, coloring
- science projects
- building projects
Things That I Get Bored With Quickly:
- pretend play of any kind (tea parties, dollies, knights, castle, bionicles)
- playing outside
- playing really of any kind
- listening to an early reader read out loud
- open ended games with no defined rules or end times
- listening to detailed descriptions of movies, books, or computer games
- actual involvement in crafty projects
- anything that involves sitting still for too long and being the audience
Do you know, I’m much the same. In recent years I’ve noticed that the boys seem to be ok with that; they get excited about the book reading, candlelight meals and cricket, and don’t seem so disappointed by my lack of genuine interest in bionicles. It’s me who feels the loss and longing.
yeah….maybe that’s where i was coming from on this one….my sense of the fleetingness of time, of wanting to join with my son in his world of imagination, and my sadness about not being able to shed my adult skin long enough to do that…
We’re alike. I remember a time not so long ago when I thought “if I have to play Thomas trains just ONE more time today…”
You do feel badly about it afterwards. But…there are other areas where they rely on you to spend time with them. No-one makes up better bedtime stories than mom!
Both lists are pretty good descriptions of the weekends of parenthood.