Child's Brain

I'm certain this has already gone viral, but John and I were laughing so hard at this letter to the weatherman the other day.

Maternal Judgement

Sometimes parenting makes me feel like I am 14 years old again. I can feel like I am under the microscope. Like I am being critiqued. Like I have to measure up to some parenting standard. Like there is some cool crowd style I am supposed to conform to. If I think too much about parenting I go batty. So many opinions. So many folks who are certain they have the right techniques for raising my children. There are times when I really connect with the motherhood community and I think to myself, "Gee, we are all just trying to make it through this stage together." Then there are the other times. There are the times when I have conversations with mothers who know everything and appear to have it all figured out. Those are the times I catch myself starting to fume and get into fighting position. In those moments I no longer care about the motherhood community. I take on the Hunger Games  mentality and think, "May the odds be in your favor." In those moments I am ready to battle the opinionated mother (or maybe non-mother... it's very possible). I have debated blogging about some of my encounters. I don't want to alienate folks, but the stories are rich. Sometimes I even agree with the practices of these super confident women who send me into a rage. Sometimes I actually practice the same parenting style as them. So it is not actually their opinions or style that wrecks me, it is the judgement that I can so easily feel. I love this piece in the Huffington Post about maternal judgement.

I definitely connected with the Huffington Post piece. When I was pregnant with Grayson we had grand plans of how we would parent. I saw so many blogs and Facebook posts of women who clearly have 40 hours a day to do crafts with their children, have a completely organic life, keep a perfectly decorated home, cook elaborate meals, throw creative parties, go on amazing vacations, have perfectly witty and enthusiastic family outings,  and still have time to talk about it all. The bar is set pretty high for what it looks like to be a parent. At the end of the day, none of that matters though. What matters is that I raise my children in the way that is best for them and what works best for our family. Now I don't care so much about living out a certain parent persona, but rather just doing what needs to get done for my family. I think that is the responsibility of every mother. Do what you need to do and brush off the rest. This morning I had to fish out a letter "M" alphabet graham (euphemism for cookie) from Lucy's mouth. Grayson is our little Socialist and likes to give everything to his sister. The incident highlighted two things: 1) I was preoccupied for longer than one second, so Grayson had time to get a cookie in Lu's mouth, and 2) We officially give Grayson cookies in the morning. I am sure the pre-parent Shannen would have something to say about this, but all the parent Shannen can say is, "It's just where I'm at right now."

Simply Speaking

Recently I chatted with a 15-year-old who is having a tough time getting older. She is enjoying high school but she admitted missing her younger years, when things were a little simpler, when she was more naive to the world. It was endearing to listen to this young girl talk about missing her childhood. I could relate to so much of what she said. I think what I miss most about childhood is the anticipation for all that could happen. I have already covered the major milestones I daydreamed about as a child: high school, college, my wedding, having kids. Now I am in a phase of life that does not allow for much daydreaming and idle time. So much of the anticipation I felt as a child is gone.

This past weekend my mom and I took Grayson swimming. While we were in the pool I thought about how much I loved spending time in swimming pools as a child. I loved the feel of the water. I loved diving under the water, swimming around. I can't remember the last time I played in a pool. I can't remember the last time I rode a bike just for the ride. I can't remember the last time I watched TV at a friend's house, with nothing else I needed to do. I want to bring back some of the simplicity of childhood. Adulthood is not bad; it's just different from childhood. John and I always remind each other to appreciate the phase of life we are in now, because we know a couple of decades from now we will look back longingly at how simple - albeit chaotic - this time was.

To childhood simplicity!

What were your favorite childhood simplicities?

Photos from Pinterest

Thought-Provoking Thursday

OBESITY: ALWAYS A BIG TOPIC

Anything public health related will always strike my interest. When it comes to the obesity epidemic, there is no lack of news. Everyday research articles and stories abound on the topic. This week, the NPR story about obesity ads put out by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta caught my attention.
Are these ads on point or too in-your-face?

Check out this super intense ad from Australia.

MOVING OTHERS OUT TO MOVE IN?

John and I are considering buying a house. I know that buying a house for some folks is a natural step and exciting - it is exciting - but it can also be intimidating and scary. The area where we are looking at houses is an area that used to be a place you would most likely not venture into, but now it is up-and-coming. Something that weighs on me when we are considering houses is my opinion about gentrification. I have lived in gentrified areas, and I have seen the pros and cons of gentrification in multiple cities. I love seeing old buildings restored and spaces used in unique ways, but is gentrification really good? I still don't know exactly what I think or how I feel about the gentrification process.

UNNECESSARY OR NECESSARY SWEETNESS?

I am skeptical about flavored apples. Would you buy these for children?



What has been thought-provoking for you this week?