Make it a Game
My baby just went down for his morning nap. My older son is eating his snack and relaxing with 'Charlie and Lola'. Yes, I let my children watch some TV. They are pretty much limited to Disney Junior and PBS, but they are allowed to watch, in moderation. I was allowed to watch some TV when I was little, too. There weren't as many options in the 1970's and 80's, but there was still quite a bit out there. My mom was extremely vigilant when it came to what we could watch. She limited the time and the content. I'm doing the same thing. When I was little, I could watch Sesame Street, The Electric Company, 321 Contact, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and some cartoons. My boys have more options available, but I still limit the time. Some days it's more and some it's less, but it's what I think is reasonable. The point is that they're not zoned out in front of the tube all day long. We turn off the TV and go to the back room of our house (where we don't even have a TV to tempt us. This is where I keep all the kids' toys, activities, educational materials, etc. We have a great time back there. We focus on each other and the task or game at hand.
When I think of the word 'game', I think of my grandmother. She is 90 years old, the mother of eight, grandmother of 19 and great grandmother of 10 (at last count). She may be the most amazing woman I will ever meet. When I ask her how she's managed such a large family, while having fun and enjoying them, she always says it's because she makes everything a game. Even the boring parts that no one really likes, she turns into a game. How fast can everyone make their beds? Who can put away the most toys? Can we pretend we work at a zoo and we have to take care of feeding and cleaning up after the animals? How can we approach the boring chores in a fun way so that we can move on to the REALLY fun stuff? My dad (her oldest child) remembers putting on circuses in their living room. He remembers that all the kids wore his dad's t-shirts to sleep in and she said it was so they could look like angels. (My grandfather was 6'5", so the shirts were huge on the kids.) He remembers that his mother was smart, interesting, fun and the person in charge of their family. She got things done. She fixed washing machines. She didn't wait for her husband to come home to take care of things. She just did it. It's a good thing, too, because my grandfather traveled all week for his job. He was only available to the family on weekends. So, when my grandparents moved away from their family in New York City to start a new life in Cincinnati, OH, she was the one taking care of all of those children. ALL BY HERSELF. Whenever I think I can't do it, I think of her. I only have two boys. My husband is very available to me. I have no excuse to fall apart or not do my job. She is my reminder.
If I can remember all that, we have great days at our house. When I forget, and I often forget, I find myself majorly dragging ass because I don't enjoy cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping or maintenance of any kind. I get overwhelmed by minutia. I hate those details that seem to take up so much time. I would much rather take the boys to the park, the library, or ANYWHERE else. I would rather just play with them. I would rather have FUN. Okay, that brings us back to making things a game. Take care of the boring stuff as fast as you can so you can move on to FUN. Think of my grandmother. That's what I do.
When I think of the word 'game', I think of my grandmother. She is 90 years old, the mother of eight, grandmother of 19 and great grandmother of 10 (at last count). She may be the most amazing woman I will ever meet. When I ask her how she's managed such a large family, while having fun and enjoying them, she always says it's because she makes everything a game. Even the boring parts that no one really likes, she turns into a game. How fast can everyone make their beds? Who can put away the most toys? Can we pretend we work at a zoo and we have to take care of feeding and cleaning up after the animals? How can we approach the boring chores in a fun way so that we can move on to the REALLY fun stuff? My dad (her oldest child) remembers putting on circuses in their living room. He remembers that all the kids wore his dad's t-shirts to sleep in and she said it was so they could look like angels. (My grandfather was 6'5", so the shirts were huge on the kids.) He remembers that his mother was smart, interesting, fun and the person in charge of their family. She got things done. She fixed washing machines. She didn't wait for her husband to come home to take care of things. She just did it. It's a good thing, too, because my grandfather traveled all week for his job. He was only available to the family on weekends. So, when my grandparents moved away from their family in New York City to start a new life in Cincinnati, OH, she was the one taking care of all of those children. ALL BY HERSELF. Whenever I think I can't do it, I think of her. I only have two boys. My husband is very available to me. I have no excuse to fall apart or not do my job. She is my reminder.
If I can remember all that, we have great days at our house. When I forget, and I often forget, I find myself majorly dragging ass because I don't enjoy cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping or maintenance of any kind. I get overwhelmed by minutia. I hate those details that seem to take up so much time. I would much rather take the boys to the park, the library, or ANYWHERE else. I would rather just play with them. I would rather have FUN. Okay, that brings us back to making things a game. Take care of the boring stuff as fast as you can so you can move on to FUN. Think of my grandmother. That's what I do.
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