I will laugh with my kids today-a promise to myself

Have we forgotten how to live in the present?Mother and daughter talking on couch

Image Source : momitforward.com

School reopens (USA) in a few weeks time –for some next week and for others much later. By September, though all the kids will be in school –I know many moms are looking forward to it –believe it or not many kids are also looking forward to it!

 

The article by Rachel Macy Stafford on Huffington Post almost brought tears to my eyes. She was talking about how she was always hurrying her kid –her most spoken words were “ hurry up” rather than “I love you” Her mornings started with the words- “We’re going to miss everything if you don’t hurry up” and most likely ended up with the same words. Yes, she did go on to change her ways because she realized that she had to slow down for herself and her daughter –she had to start enjoying life. She was done being a bully who was always pushing her munchkin to speed things up.

 

In my opinion at least 90% of moms can be accused of showing similar traits. You walk into a restaurant or a park during the summer holiday months –most likely you will hear some mother telling her kid-“ we need to go home now” or “ this is not acceptable at all “ or “ c’mon eat your food fast” and uncountable “NO”. I am not trying to belittle mothers here- I am a mother too and I have to confess –I utter these sentences on a daily basis multiple times – I could be feeling sorry afterwards but nevertheless I am always trying to discipline them and in the process I fail to hear them, I fail to live life with them. I am trying to make them better for their future –but am losing the present .

 

The other day I heard a research on radio, which was stating that kids who study during the summer are ahead of their peers in school. It also stated that it is the rich kids who work during the summer –which gives them an edge over their poor friends when the school starts. The research believed that poor kids used their whole time of the long summer vacation in just being outside and playing while the rich kids used their time more fruitfully by studying. When I heard this research- I almost cringed-because I am neither rich nor poor-I am like millions other belonging to the middle class-and I didn’t think my kids were spending enough time studying. Yes, all of you guessed it – I immediately wore my preacher and disciplinarian hat-and started telling my kids who by the way are still in elementary school –how they should be studying more, submitting their Kumon sheets in time. And when my 6 year old rebelled against Kumon’s boring and repetitive teaching – I stopped listening to him and told him –“ you need to work hard, otherwise all your friends will be ahead of you “ – quit complaining, the world rewards those people who work harder!

 

But today when I read the article in Huffington post- I thought –maybe I need to slow down too. I need to slow down to live today –understand them, hear them, like them even if their Kumon sheets are yet to be complete-because today might be lost in just trying to prepare the future.

 

I don’t know what is right or wrong –“ mother knows best” is not at all true-because the moms that I know are always struggling with the decisions.

 

But, today – I am going to live life in slow motion-hopefully till the school begins!

 

Written by Suchitra Sharma

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