We've all heard this and perhaps even said this before we had kids. It's a tough life and friendships change after kids come along, but I hope all your friends are more understanding than this! That said, the friendship part is not why I wanted to post this though. It was because I appreciated the response!
It was emailed to me as a picture, which isn't readable here so I'll just type it up:
Tell Me About It, by Carolyn Hax of The Washingto Post
Title: Why don't friends with kids have time?
"Dear Carolyn: Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etch. Me (no kids): What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group... OK. I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please not lists of library, grocery store dry cleaners... I do all those things, too. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from nine hours a day (plus a few late work events); I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kids is an excuse to relax and enjoy, but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a contest ("my life is so much harder than yours"? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks have the same questions. - Tacoma, Wash.
Dear Tacoma: Relax and Enjoy. You're funny.
Or, you're lying about having friends with kids.
Ore you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.
I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that they only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.
So, because it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, cleaned, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, anyone of which produces checkout-line screaming.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long term expense.
It's doing all this while con-currently teaching virtually everything - language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thought s instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about your or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand to keep your snit to yourself."
It is a tough job and one to take pride in. A job we've been given from the Lord. One He can only give us the strength and resolve to do. So, keep up the good work!!
1 comment:
thanks for sharing.
Post a Comment