Busy Mums

The End of Half Term

Half Term has just ended and mayhem seems to reign in my house.

I always thought that the older children got the more you can delegate and the less I would have to tackle.

I don't think I am the only Mum who feels like this. As I was browsing round Waitrose I over heard two women talking. One said to the other how untidy her son's bedroom was, but his idea of tidying it up was to take all the clothes lying on the floor and put them in the dirty linen basket.

Because their clothes are bigger they take up more room and there seems a lot more of them than there was when they were small. Also "they" decide when they are dirty. And given the choice between hanging something up and putting it out to be washed. They take the easier option. And you can guess what that is.

They eat more, normally more than the adults - make more mess and don't always clear up when you want them to; as they are too busy, conveniently doing homework, which of course you certainly do not want to discourage.

Then there is the blossoming social life which often means that every evening is interrupted by Mummy mini cab service, free prompt and available whenever required. Actually my kids always complain I am not very prompt - but I am reliable.

When they were little I chose their friends and when and where they went, and my evening generally were my own.

Then there is the discipline side of things. The naughty step does not work quite the same way. Although the general principle of rewarding good behaviour and intercepting unacceptable behaviour still needs to be addressed.

And of course when they were little I was the all knowing central figure in my children's lives. They have now realised I was a complete fraud, and they are smarter and capable than me. This leads to my own personal idiosyncrasies having huge comic value.

But despite all the challenges my kids are still funny, entertaining and constantly surprise me.
And the thing I find interesting is how much I learn from them.

So I guess the chaos is worth it. In a few years the chaos will be replaced by an empty house which does not get untidy. Not sure how much I will like that either.

Labels: families, mums, parenting, school holidays parents

posted by Diana and Steve @ 21:34