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Go Nigel, Go!
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Would You Like To Buy My Monkeys?
Apr
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April Giveaway: It’s All About Balance
by Leslie
This month, at My Mommy’s Place, our focus is on balance and I’d like to hear your thoughts. Here are a few questions to get you thinking:
*What does balance mean to you?
*How do you achieve balance? Do you have any helpful tips or resources to share?
*What prevents you from achieving balance?
*What does a balanced life look like?
*Balance in parenthood - is it possible?
Submit a comment to this post or at My Mommy’s Group for a chance to win The Motherhood Manifesto Documentary Film on DVD!!!
Be as creative as you like. Share your thoughts in words, pictures, poetry - anything that articulates your thoughts on balance. Bloggers, feel free to submit your links via comments if you feel inspired to publish a post on the subject and please pass the word along!
The giveaway begins today and runs through April 30th. Ten participants will be randomly selected to receive the documentary. Winners will be notified via e-mail and announced here on May 1st.
Balance - let’s talk about it!
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I’ll tackle the balance in parenthood issue–and I assume you mean a balance of responsibilities between parents?
In some ways I strongly believe that parents should share equally: in parenting for example. Neither of the parents should have to do all the disciplining, teaching, etc. though one may be around more than the other because of responsibilities outside the home.
However, I don’t believe in an equal distribution of labor in the house. That may sound really whacked and off but it’s because it is absolutely impossible to divide everything that needs to be done to keep a home running perfectly in half so that each spouse shares EXACTLY 50-50. It can’t be done because the tasks are so many and so varied. My husband and I have a “divide and conquer” approach where each handles and manages certain aspects of running our home and managing our resources and the rule is there’s no “keeping track” of how much each other does. As a stay at home mom, for example, my down time is much different than his so to compare straight working hours wouldn’t be productive. We both work hard, but in different ways so to constantly look at who is “doing more” just wastes time and energy. Luckily I’ve married a man who does work hard and takes his roles seriously–it would be a lot harder for me if I had a man around who made more work for me rather than worked hard to provide and make it possible for me to do my job. Likewise, I’m glad he values what I do–if I had a spouse who thought my job, without a paycheck, was dumb work then things would obviously be different around here.
It’s what has worked for us, I know each couple has a different response to this subject. But there’s my two cents, for what it’s worth (probably about two cents!)
Leslie, I would love to participate, but lately my life has felt anything but balanced. I do look forward to reading other people’s responses. Maybe I’ll pick up a few tips.
Balance in parenthood isn’t impossible, but can be hard to achieve if you are a normal person. Unlike movie stars and the very wealthy, we can’t hire an entourage of nannies and personal assistants to help us raise our kids. We have to struggle with finding the right balance between work and family life. And we all know it isn’t easy. For me, it would be impossible without my wife. My parents use to take care of our children while we worked. But when my mom became ill with dementia, my wife decide to quit her job and take care of the kids full time. It hurt financially, but I think it has helped achieve a little balance in our family life. Otherwise, my wife and I would be running around dropping off/picking up the kids from daycare and driving to and from work. Then frantically make dinner and gives the kids baths before it’s time to tuck them in and start the whole process over again the next day.
[…] […]
[…] My Mommy’s Place is giving away copies of The Motherhood Manifesto on DVD. Go, leave your comments on “Balance” here to enter. […]
Okay, let’s see.
Balance to me is happiness, good health and only 14 loads of laundry left to do. It’s not being stuck in the middle of an argument. It’s sitting on the couch laying on my husband’s shoulder just after the baby has gone to bed. It’s watching Alex struggle to climb onto the couch (something he’s just figured out how to do) and then flop dramatically down as if he’s just climbed Mount Everest.
How do I achieve balance? I mellow out. I realize that the world is not going to end if there are dishes left in the sink overnight. I make my son and my husband my priority, along with my much needed alone time every so often. The rest will come in time, and if not, well, I’ve lived without it this long!
The only thing that prevents me from achieving balance is when Alex is sick. The world just doesn’t seem right to me when my little one has to suffer.
A balanced life looks like a sundress with a small strawberry flavored handprint on it. It looks like a mom in sweats one minute and fully dressed and ready to knock them dead 10 minutes later. It looks like a father and his son asleep on the couch as the cartoons ramble on on Saturday morning.
I think balance in parenthood is very possible. You pick your battles on the discipline front. Be consistent, but not mean. Spend time as a family, AND as a couple. Make sure each parent spends some one on one time with their child during the week. Laugh often, but don’t be afraid to cry when it’s called for. Parenting is rough stuff. It takes a lot of work, but thankfully, it is so very worth it.