I LOVE ROUTINE. Seriously. We don't wonder where Matthew got that trait from. Justin likes to tease me sometimes over my little routines. I do my shower routine the same every time: shampoo, condition, wash body, wash face while rinsing out hair. I drive places the same way every time-even to the point of switching lanes at the same place I always do. I am a creature of habit and routines are not boring to me. They bring structure and order and control to my life. But...sometimes you just need to switch things up a bit and do it different. Add a little spice, some excitement, some spur of the moment fun. But not too much, mind you. Or life starts to feel out of whack, out of control, overwhelming. Getting my children to conform to my routines, or should I say letting go of my routines and just going with the flow as my children do their thing, is a constant internal struggle for me. Whenever life gets a little overwhelming for me I always think: We just need more structure in our day, a routine that we follow so everyone knows what to expect and things will run smooth. But how to create a routine that a 4 year old and a 2 year old (and soon to be baby) can consistently follow is a mammoth task that requires flexibility and a very broad use of the term 'routine.'Turns out I rely on my "routines" more than I realized. By far the hardest transition of motherhood for me was when Matthew stopped taking his naps. I suddenly had to learn how to function all over and my routine of life was completely thrown off. Add to that he was grumpy and emotional most of the late afternoon and evening and it was just plain hairy, scary, HARD. I finally realized that I have been having that same struggle with Koyle. February was a real tough month for me. Justin was quite busy and had a lot of long days and nights away from home which left me to make it on my own at home. Normally not that big of a deal. But throw potty training (my nemesis) and Koyle deciding he was done taking naps into the mix and it was almost too much for this mama to handle. After a few weeks of fighting Koyle at nap time every day and then being upset because he didn't take a nap and therefore threw off my routine, I decided the answer was to just embrace Koyle not napping. New routine, new approach to our day, just expecting no nap. It worked pretty good except for the fact that Koyle was a basket case...a serious basket case every afternoon until he would finally crash in the evening. This was just how it was going to have to be I thought.
Thanks to Justin having a few afternoons home to help get Koyle to sleep (he has the magic touch with Koyle), we have re-embarked down the nap path. Two days in a row now he has laid right down and taken a nap. And life has been much happier. I feel like myself again. I can think, I can function, I can cope with life. I know how to do life with nap time. So this is something I need to work on because I know that sometime in the near future Koyle really will stop taking naps and I am going to have to adjust. A new life routine will form. Strangely I think it will be easier if this happens after the baby is born because babies throw off all routines anyway and you just have to go with the flow and make it work. Whereas now we have been doing the same routine for so long that it's hard to change that.
So here's to hoping that Koyle keeps napping : ) and that we can keep our routine functioning for a few more months until this semester and this pregnancy are over. In the meantime, I will work on being more 'flexible.'
4 comments:
There is something comforting about a routine. For me routine just means being busy. It doesn't have to be the same thing i just need something useful to be doing. If my list gets to long I start to feel overwhelmed and grumpy but generally I like to have a list of things to work on so I never feel bored. Lately my list is pretty superficial but it is a list of things I have wanted to do for years. I just have to get used to this new busy that seems a little more selfish. I'm used to being busy for my kids, who have one by one left me to my own devices. Wait a minute . . . isn't that what I dreamed about as a young mother? Take heart kiddo, this to will pass. One thing about life the routine never lasts.
Its good that you are prepping yourself for losing your routine. Its true, babies do mess that up, BIG time. And,well, as you know, #3 has been a doozy for me in that department. My whole functioning of life has changed, but the amazing thing is, its for the better. :)
Routines are the best! Spontaneity is only good because I know I can return to my safe routines if whatever the spontaneous activity is doesn't work out. I have been lucky in that B is just like me and loves to sleep, so we haven't had any slowing down of afternoon naps. I hope #2 is the same. She's not a great napper during the day.
Nooooooo! I don't even want to think about life with no nap time. I hope it lasts forever :)
Post a Comment