Asking for Help

Why is it so hard for us to ask for help? I speak from my own experience and others who have shared theirs with me but the theme is the same:

Does asking for help mean that we are surrendering our pride?

That we really can’t do it all?

My husband and I both work full time. I have the advantage of working from home so I can easily do drop off and pickups for the kids. But from 7am to 8pm daily I am either working or with the kids.

Zero time for cooking, cleaning, laundry. Zero time for me and the hubby.

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It was a good day.

How often as parents do we sulk in the really really bad days? The days where nothing went right. The kids were royally unpleasant. Work was painful. You didn’t have time to make a healthy meal for anyone. Forget making a meal – you didn’t have time to eat! For me – when these days happen, I break down. I am extra hard on myself, trying to reflect back on what I should have or could have done better, that I could have been a little more patient, or shouldn’t have wasted time doing one thing but instead done another. It always comes back to me – what did I do wrong.

Teaching Styles

Parents know damn well that no one really prepares you for the reality of having kids. First it’s the infant phase that’s full of fun surprises. Then it’s the toddler phase that tests your patience in ways you couldn’t even imagine. And through that phase you realize that you are constantly teaching your kids something – how to count, their abcs, colors, shapes, and the list goes on. Then with school age kids you have bring back your rusty math skills that you haven’t used in 20+ years! That’s probably the easy stuff. You’re also teaching compassion, sharing, forgiveness, patience. Man oh man.. that’s the heavy stuff.

So if you sit back (without your kids yelling for you) and wonder — what’s your teaching style as a parent? Do friends or strangers comment on how great (or not great) your kids are at something and thought to yourself – “I taught them that”?

Masi

11 years before I became a mother, I became a Masi. Masi (mah-cee) is Hindi for Aunt and has the literal meaning of “mother-like”. Becoming a Masi for the first time really changes your life. You’re obsessed with a little stinky adorable human and would do absolutely anything for them.

My heart was first stolen when my first nephew was born. I was a freshman in college a few hours away from home and my middle sister (I’m the youngest of 3 girls) was [very] pregnant. I was BEYOND excited to meet the little guy and wanted to hold him as long as I possibly could.

My sister, who I absolutely love and adore and look up to to this very day, called me her practice child when we were growing up. She’s 7 years older and was by my side a lot – as my teacher, my friend and sometimes even my mom!

Ready for Chores?

My hubby and I have actively tried to teach the kids the concept of responsibility from an early age. Putting away dirty clothes at the end of the day, cleaning up their room and helping out around the house when asked. They’re actually pretty great at putting away their toys after they’re done playing and when asked to clean up the basement (which is completely a kid zone) after some friends have been over. They are total rockstars at getting it back into shape.

So it made me wonder… are they old enough for repeated chores yet? What’s the right age? And when do you have to give in to incentives? They totally get the concept of helping us out, doing their part, and of course cleaning up. And what’s not to love about those amazing creative chore calendars? There are so many amazing ones that I’ve seen on Pinterest!