Why didn't I think it could wait another year?.... you know until ALL of the kids would be in school full time...I'm no longer sure of the answer to that.
What I can tell you is that going back to school was probably NEVER going to be a great idea (timing wise). What WAS a great idea was choosing WGU which is a pass/fail system. All I have to do is get through it. I don't have to stress my GPA too much; get through it and come out the other side with a solid B. Once upon a time I would not have been okay with that. Now I don't care... I just want my degree so I can lead my children by example.
But what I HAVE found quite interesting (when it isn't annoying the daylights out of me) is what I hear happening around the house when I am studying and "not paying attention" (or so they think).....
I hear Emma pretending to be her teacher Mrs. Brewsaugh. She sets all of her dolls and stuffed animal on her bed and points to pictures in books, writes on papers, and "listens" to them read what they have been writing.
I hear Alaina walking around the house singing, in such a beautiful little voice. And sometimes I can even catch her dancing.
I hear Tristen in his room with all of his minions and other toys (mostly from McDonald's Happy Meals, because they tend to be his favored playthings) staging epic battles against his little green army men.
And I hear my Kylie, my beautiful, grown up little helper, alternating between yelling at the little kids to "get back in their own bed" and telling them to just snuggle with her in bed because "Mommy is trying to get homework done since we are supposed to be in bed".
I also hear the kids helping one another getting snacks out and juice poured (that they totally aren't really supposed to be getting) .
And right now, as I type this, Emma and Alaina have discovered that playing in the empty garage is warmer than outside and almost as much fun... although I am just waiting for that soccer ball to find the one window out there.
There are also a lot more irritating things I hear... like toilets overflowing because they have stuffed an entire roll of toilet paper down... but that isn't what I have been focusing on today as I reflect. I am sure that will make for a HILARIOUS posting another day.
What I have been realizing is this: as parents, sometimes we micromanage our kids schedules so much that they often don't have time for just plain old imagination playing. And sometimes I think we really pay TOO CLOSE of attention to everything they do.. making them feel a little self conscious and even restricting their actions to better serve ourselves, instead of our children. When I am "absorbed" in my school work, I notice they find new and unusual things to do. They also tend to work together a lot more. And I have been amazed at some of the things my younger kiddos can do... Emma one day served peanut butter sandwiches as a snack-- all by herself. Did I know what she was doing? Well- not at first. But I DID notice she was WAY too quiet and found her about a third of the way through her project. I noticed how hard she was working, and paused long enough to realize that cleaning up the mess would only take me 5 minutes. She felt such a sense of accomplishment when she "served our dinner". And Miss Alaina has taken to getting the dogs water all by herself. Normally I would stop her- insisting I fill the pitcher (only a third full to avoid spills). As I have observed her quietly going about her business, she did fill it too full and spilled a little bit. But she also got a towel and wiped up the mess (a little). Kylie tends to shine in the mornings more- she will automatically put toothpaste on all four toothbrushes as she brushes her teeth, she helps pass out gloves and hats on the way to the bus, and she pours cereal and opens breakfast bar wrappers automatically. And Mr. Tristen--- well, he just wants to play and be left to his own devices :)
So perhaps Mommy going back to school hasn't been all bad. I have remembered what it means to take a step back and just let them be a little. It has been a joy to watch them spread their wings a little more while I am "too busy" to clip their wings.
I have a feeling what I will learn my first semester at WGU will have very little to do with nursing and a whole lot to do with my family....
And I am more than okay with that. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment