My son drew this image shortly after he became a big brother. 1
I always have a really long list of things I want to change about myself in a new year. Parenting challenges me to try to be the type of person I aspire to: someone who is worthy of raising my awesome and amazing children.
Parenting is a vocation that I deeply love, but that I am eminently underqualified for. I consciously try to parent respectfully and patiently. It’s a constant balancing act between meeting my own needs and giving the people I love what they need, and I don’t always get it right. Most days most things click into place, which is peaceful and calm and feels wonderful. Other days not so much, which leads me to feel like I’ve failed my children somehow. On the jagged days I feel like The Peppery Man.
I would love to be the type of mom who has an unending well of energy and tranquility, who always manages to fix wholesome food from scratch, who always gets enough sleep and exercise and never, ever feels overwhelmed or ungraceful. This type of ideal mother is imaginary, thank FSM. A friend sent me a link to this great Ted Talk about just this issue. In 2011 I want to be comfortable with the idea that I am, by most accounts, a good mother and stop worrying about all the ultimately meaningless bullshit.
I'd also like to read more. I have two compellingly interesting-looking books on my nightstand and a stack of others on a shelf that are all collecting dust. I would also really like to read more of your work, comment more on your blogs, and take the time to really write well myself.
I’m incredibly grateful to be invited to contribute to other projects. I’ll be continuing at She Thought. I also have a piece publishing under my real name in early January at a great new critical thinking site called Does This Make Sense. (I’ll give you a heads-up once it posts.) OS readers are likely to recognize the great writing of several familiar OS faces.
Here’s one more thing I’d really like to do in 2011: I want to find myself and my Trophy Husband alone together and awake at the same time in the same bed more often.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
1: This is documentation of my poor parenting. That's me on the left neglecting my son. That's my son on the right running away with his baby sister--presumably to return her to the place from whence she came. Now, thank goodness, they are good buddies most of the time, and I manage to occasionally give my son some attention too.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Nikki Stern
Greg Correll
Amanda Gulledge
marytkelly
Indiana_Joe
Lainey
Salon.com
Comments