Creative Child May 2020 | Page 28

special feature Then I helped set up their candle STEM project. I did pull up my computer to do some work, but since this was their allotted time, I didn’t mind when they interrupted me to show me their progress or ask me questions. Having the expectation that this was their time, also helped me to be more patient with them. I also chose to focus on a task that didn’t require my full attention. Next up, was mommy’s time to work on taxes. The understanding here is that unless it’s an emergency, they need to leave me alone and do things for themselves as best they could, like get their own water. Whatever questions and needs they may have had, needed to wait until my hour was over. A spontaneous fight did break out but having this understanding has kept the incessant demand for mommy in check. Dinner was followed by a quick Zoom chat, which was followed by an even shorter cleaning session with the help of my kids, which I write more about next. As you can see, my day didn’t go according to my aspirational hopes. Not even close. My jog wasn’t peaceful. I was interrupted while working on my taxes to play referee. And only half the living room got cleaned with most of the clutter still strewn about. But we made small progress. The kids did their candle project and they got to chat with some friends. We all got exercise. And I made a slight dent in my taxes. Everyone got a piece of the pie. Nobody was left out. Not least of all mommy. 27