Putting Family First..... (wife, activities, daughter, 4 yr old)

[skbs]

"Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted." - Paul Pearshall

Something to think about..... might be a good idea to slow down and take a deep breath in the morning... two seconds vs two minutes... really in the grand scheme of things... what is the difference? I thought about this today when I was outside watering my flowers and my daughter wanted to do "help".... at first I just wanted to GET IT DONE... and found it a tad annoying... but I thought... what the heck I'm not going anywhere... she's not hurting anything... the grass can use a little water too! LOL.... What's the big deal? Slow down, smell the roses.... don't take the moment for granted..... don't take your family for granted... be happy.... I cut a flower for my older daughter for when she got off the bus and it made her day took two seconds and it was nothing.... Anyway.... just made me think... and I thought I would share

[maja]

Lovely post. Wish everyone would slow down and take time to "smell the roses" with their family. Everyone is in such a rush. Drives me crazy. That's one of the reasons my family in L.A. is picking up stakes and moving to Maine. Looking for a slower pace. So what if DH doesn't make the same salary? So what if its cold? So what if we don't have the selection of restaurants? So what if...We will have more precious family time together. My children will grow up a little slower. We will all breathe easier. BTW, I love Paul Pearsal. I'm a bit ashamed to ask, but is he still around? I know he was suffering with cancer a number of years back. Thanks for the post!

[aidxen]

Great post and I agree and I also need reminding daily.

For many reasons. I am a very driven and busy person and so the temptation is always to get the task done now and get it done right and my way etc etc.

Another reason is that our kids know not to pester so they may ask once to help but they will not persist in asking so I have to be very careful to be open to responding positively when they want to help.

And I agree that most of us would give our lives to protect our family.

[NYMD67]

This is a great reminder,of which,I too ,need to take in...
Way to many times I find myself telling my 3 year old when she wants to help that I have to "get it done"...
I such a scheduled,OCD type person (neat freak,etc...) that I always make a resolution that I am going to slow down,remember what really matters and then I am always breaking that resolution.
I will try very hard this Summer to remember this post

[skahar]

Very good reminder. I like cooking and baking and the kids are always asking if they can help especially at the 4 yr old stage. I used to say no all the time, one reason is my kitchen has no counter space, I seriously have like a 1 ft by 2 ft area to work that is in the corner of the cabinets, so really only a one person area. I also hate unnecessary messes, which kids tend to make. I got to thinking "whats the big deal? It'll only take 5 extra mins to clean up the extra mess and so what if we're crunched in there." It sure was worth it to see how proud DS #3 was of the brownies he made, and DS #2 who is now 11 ( he never got to help me when he was younger) has become quite the apprentice chef. He even looks through my recipe books to find his next project!

I think it has a lot to do with growing up (on my part) and learning patience and realizing how fast time is going by and that you can't get that time back once it is gone.

[Pandamonium]

Originally Posted by skbs

"Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted." - Paul Pearshall

Something to think about..... might be a good idea to slow down and take a deep breath in the morning... two seconds vs two minutes... really in the grand scheme of things... what is the difference? I thought about this today when I was outside watering my flowers and my daughter wanted to do "help".... at first I just wanted to GET IT DONE... and found it a tad annoying... but I thought... what the heck I'm not going anywhere... she's not hurting anything... the grass can use a little water too! LOL.... What's the big deal? Slow down, smell the roses.... don't take the moment for granted..... don't take your family for granted... be happy.... I cut a flower for my older daughter for when she got off the bus and it made her day took two seconds and it was nothing.... Anyway.... just made me think... and I thought I would share

That is very cool.

[movingtohouston]

Thanks for the reminder, I needed it....

[MrMom2]

I agree, OP.

Most people work all day and only see their families on weekends and evenings. In those typical nuclear family cases, making the most of those times is important.

However in some cases, where your with you family 24/7, wife telkeworks, kid has no friends and few extracurricular activities and schools from home, then sadly those quiet alone times become the special precious times.

Its sad, but its hard to appreciate special moments with your kids or family in general when your around them constantly. Not trying to be mean. I love them dearly, just being honest. And honestly I wish I was in that majority who was in a position to appreciate them more rather than the opposite where I gotta have a break whenever I can squeeze one in.

[L.K.]

wow,I sometimes think I must be the only stay at home mom that thinks she always needs to "get it done in a hurry".I don't know what I think will happen if all my little tasks do not happen on time. This is a great wake up for me as we go into summer,especially,that I can slow down, relax,and enjoy being with my kids and letting them help. The journey should be so much more enjoyable than the getting there! Thanks!

[MrMom2]

Originally Posted by L.K.

wow,I sometimes think I must be the only stay at home mom that thinks she always needs to "get it done in a hurry".I don't know what I think will happen if all my little tasks do not happen on time. This is a great wake up for me as we go into summer,especially,that I can slow down, relax,and enjoy being with my kids and letting them help. The journey should be so much more enjoyable than the getting there! Thanks!

Funny you say that because I'm sitting here thinking "What am I going to do with them for 15-18 hours a day?!" lol

PDD-NOS and Anger Mgt issues have made having social time limited and they have no friends at all. In my case its too much of a good thing sometimes. Day camps are out as they can not interact with peers for more than a couple hours at a time (take what I can get tho if we can afford it).