cmccaughren@...

Words from here helped me this morning. It didn’t start very well - I woke up achey (am 6 months pregnant), the other 4 children were all in the bedroom with me kind of jostling for space. The 2 year old had spilled a jar of hama beads on the floor, the 9 year old was getting frustrated at a computer game. As sometimes happens when I’m not feeling my best, I start silently worrying that the deschooling we’ve been doing since October (although I’ve been reading for a lot longer than that) is to blame for the unsettled atmosphere - later nights making the children “crabby”, less restrictions on devices making them “anti-social”, lack of imposed structure (we used to have circle time, table time, quiet time, free time!) making my days difficult. 


I went downstairs to have a bowl of cereal and microwave my cup of coffee. After taking a moment I came back upstairs to help my son with the computer. When he saw that I couldn’t do the bit of the level the way he way trying either, he tried something else that worked. And I also found that my 5 year old had made my bed, and then went on to make hers and her sister’s! I have never asked her to do this, she just finds a “neatened” bed a very pleasing thing. It was such a lovely surprise, and it made me think - this is not a bad day, or even a bad morning. This was a bad MOMENT, and the next one can be better if I approach it in a more positive way. I ended up ignoring the voice in my head saying we “should” be dressed, we should have all had a good breakfast, I should clear up the mess. Instead I sat in the middle of it and played with wooden blocks with the baby. I read a chapter of a book to my son while he played on Minecraft. I helped my daughters tidy their bedroom (they don’t do it, but they love it when I do!).   

I feel like remembering about moments rescued our day. I am very grateful for everything written here. Thank you.

Clare


Sandra@...

Nice. "I feel like remembering about moments rescued our day."

Thanks for sharing that story.
I remember with three little kids feeling some days that I wouldn't survive until bedtime, or that there might never, ever BE a bedtime.  

It's not easy with young children, but I'm glad there are people here to share things that make it a little better, at least for a moment. :-)

Vicki Dennis

I identify with Sandra remembering days in the 1980s when "?I wouldn't survive until bedtime, or that there might never, ever BE a bedtime. "

I do think that sharing these "It Gets Better" stories about moments or days or longer is incredibly helpful.  Even to us who may get up achy not from being pregnant but from arthritis acting up!.

vicki


On Sun, Jan 18, 2015 at 2:28 PM, Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:
 

Nice. "I feel like remembering about moments rescued our day."


Thanks for sharing that story.
I remember with three little kids feeling some days that I wouldn't survive until bedtime, or that there might never, ever BE a bedtime.  

It's not easy with young children, but I'm glad there are people here to share things that make it a little better, at least for a moment. :-)