The Prepared Parent

It is extremely easy to fall into autopilot while working any number of jobs. We get into the groove and stop paying attention to what we are doing, and to our surroundings. In many scenarios this can be a great way to deal with the boredom of mundane tasks, uninteresting commutes, and just the monotony of day to day life. Something happens while we are on autopilot though, something that is incredibly easy to miss when we are not paying attention. Time moves on, and our children change rapidly. While we are stressing about work, or packing lunches, or keeping up with our cleaning or social media our kids just keep growing and developing. Recently my one year old stopped making this adorable “mmmhmmmm” sound that we all adored and replaced it with a “yeah” that is very similar to her big brothers. I am really hoping that I hear that sound again, but if I do not then I can at least rest easy in knowing that I prepared myself and my home in a way that allowed me to soak up that time and really enjoy those sweet little quirks while they lasted. I try to catch when I fall into autopilot, or those times when I am stressed or daydreaming and pull myself back. Take note of what I seem to stumble over, what I can tweak, and how to preserve that time every day for me to be present and enjoy my children’s presence. I will be sharing ways to prepare yourself as a parent to make sure your needs are addressed, your children’s needs are addressed, and your work is completed to the necessary degree in order to fit in that all important time to just be. Especially to just be together.