Tuesday, September 25, 2018

I'm a kick butt mom... or not.

Yesterday, I was killing it. I spent my day off by going to the gym, running some errands, finishing a couple projects, doing some real work, cooking and getting ready for the kids to come home. I was feeling on top of the world. 

The kids came home, visited with Grandma Linda for a bit and we started right away on homework. An hour and a half later, I knocked it out of the park. All the homework was done, kids were happy, I was happy. We were playing and snuggling on the couch. 

The rest of the evening was as normal. Dinner, bath, bed at 7 pm. Yes my kids go to bed at 7, they wake up between 530-6 NO MATTER WHAT. That means, if I put them to bed at midnight, they wake up between 530-6 and are grumpy all day. They go to bed at 9, wake up between 530-6 and still grumpiness. Bed at 7 means they actually have a little down time and then fall fast asleep. It leads to less melt downs and better days. If you have some sort of solution to this habit they've had since BIRTH, I'm all ears! 

I sat on the couch at the end of the night, after slaying the day, to realize we forgot one piece of Luca's homework. I was no longer a kick butt mom, I was a failure. Damn it, kindergarten homework, completely forgotten. 

Then I sat there thinking, isn't family and playing important? I mean they get off the bus at 4 and we spent until almost dinner doing homework. We had 30 minutes of bliss, of playing, snuggling, giggling, playing games on the floor, playing board games. That NEVER happens during the week. Did I really fail because my kid didn't do 10-15 minutes of homework? 

This shit is hard you guys. Like really hard. There are TWO of us battling homework, snacks, dinner, baths, snuggles, bedtime. What do single parents do? What do parents of more than 3 kids do? Do they fail because they didn't do one sheet of homework? Where does family time come into all of this? 

We stress "Work life balance" in the "real world"... is there really a work life balance? Is there really a school and life balance? I'm starting to wonder. I mean these are my babies. My sweet little 5 year old has HOMEWORK you all! Is it really necessary after he's been at school all day to do more? I think his little brain needs a break. Does he HAVE to read in kindergarten? The answer is yes... because he'll be behind if he doesn't. A part of this all breaks my heart. Can't he just enjoy his life a little? What gives? 

How the heck do you balance it all? I'm lucky that Ryan and I are both home very close to 4 pm. That's what helps our ship keep going... I have NO idea what we would do if I was still working 12 hour shifts... really NO clue! I'm simply saying there has to be a different way for them to excel without killing them with endless work at such a young age. Why must there be SO much pressure at the elementary level?

I welcome your thoughts, your advice, your tips. What works for you? How do YOU balance it all? How do your kids balance it all? What does YOUR school send home for "homework? 

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