Domestic blitz
Bookworm on May 16 2006 at 8:55 pm | Filed under: Silly Stuff
I tend to give very brief bedtime kisses; Mr. Bookworm goes for endless bedtimes. I finally realized why.
After dinner, Mr. Bookworm lingers over dinner, turns on the TV, or works at the computer (all things he deserves, because he works very long hours).
After dinner, I hustle the kids (who are protesting) up to their baths. I bathe them and, as needed, wash their hair (which they protest). I then force them out of the bath (a step they protest). If they've had their hair washed, I spend several minutes de-tangling my daughter's snarls (something she is sweet enough not to protest). I then floss their teeth (which they protest). After that, I brush the younger one's teeth, and make sure the older one doesn't miss spots or strip her gums. I then hustle them into their clothes (something they protest). At last, I get them (still protesting) into bed. I then drop a kiss on each brow, and beat a hasty retreat, only to be followed by plaintive cries of "Mommy, can I [something]?" "Mommy, will you [whatever]?" "Mommy, tomorrow do I have to do [that thing]?"
It is only at this point, when the kids are cleaned, brushed, dressed and tucked that Mr. Bookworm appears and begins his leisurely process. Just when I've had it, he gets to start it. No wonder the difference in our bedtime styles.
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I’ve had a full-time job (outside the home) ever since the kids (boy, then girl) were born. Because Gail was with them all day long, and I didn’t get to see them much, we started the “Daddy-time” routine. When I got home from school, I took 30-45 minutes of decompression – often in the garden. Then, Gail took off for the YMCA to swim, or out for a walk, or whatever else she did – I was busy. I fed the kids, then gave them their baths, and then read their Sabbath School lessons to them before putting them in bed.
The S.S. lessons expanded as they got older, gradually adding other reading material, and Gail soon asked to join. From the time they were tiny until Thor went to college, our family sat down each evening and read out loud to each other (we never had a TV). As the kids aged, they began to ask for books they wanted, so we finally got to where we read for 15 minutes each from four books -
and that meant that each of us heard stuff we’d NEVER have chosen to read on our own. From The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to Bleak House!
I learned to know my kids in ways that would never have happened otherwise – the fun we had together and the warm and cuddly times we spent have made a foundation that continues through the 30 years since we started. Sorry to go on and on, but my daughter has created a grand-daughter for us: http://camacho.tv/index.php/radio/comments/qwerty_revealed/#comments
and I’m reliving some of my favorite memories…….
And if anyone is feeling oppressed by the sheer effort that parenthood takes, remember that the payoff is coming – here is our daughter’s mother’s day tribute: http://camacho.tv/index.php/weblog/comments/mama/