Month: October 2018

Be kind: a good place to start

Posted in chalkitup

As I was putting Miss O to bed she said, “Mama, I saw on tv that there were people at Northgate that were outside in the rain because they didn’t have homes. They just stayed in tents all day because they didn’t have HOMES!” It reminded me of a man I’d seen earlier that day with a sign that said, “broke and hungry.” Looking into his careworn and tired eyes, they seemed to convey both meanings of the word, that he was out of money and he felt broken.  

So when Miss O mentioned her new understanding that there are people without homes, it was actually the second time that day I was completely at a loss. Too often I see homeless people as a problem to be solved and not people to greet. Maybe I should stop thinking and just be kind.

Breathe. Just Breathe.

Posted in awakeandinspired, chalkitup

As I was heading out the door with Miss O the other day, I was holding the doll she wanted to bring, the doll’s bottle, a plate of cookies, some snacks and a cup of lukewarm tea. Then she wanted me to carry her so I bent down to pick her up and it seemed like she’d gained a couple of pounds overnight. Suddenly I was off balance and because dropping her was out of the question, I instead spilled the tea all over the floor, my sleeve, the hood of the shirt Miss O was wearing, my shoes and her shoes. It was all over…

 One of the parts about parenting that I find most challenging is that I don’t feel free to express myself fully at times. When I’m frustrated, angry, sad, scared, I don’t just let loose but instead try to find the mature and exemplary way through the situation until I can scream, cry or swear in an appropriate moment which is usually long after the feeling has passed.

 As I got my bearings after spilling the tea all over, I set Miss O on the counter and she said, “Take a deep breath, Mama.” Sometimes that is all that there is left to do and she was right, it helped.