Skip to main content
When I was a girl.... things were different.

I think.

Apparently, in the 80's (and 90's?) all the kids played outside, got dirty, ate worms and only came home when the sun went down.

What I really think is we're kidding ourselves.

As parents we're constantly comparing what we do with our kids to what others do with their kids, or comparing to what we experienced in our childhood. And we turned out okay, right?

So we never watched TV. NOPE. As my little boy grows up I am starting to recall just how much TV I actually watched. How does Mary Poppins three times each morning before breakfast sound? Like too much screen time? Yep, probably. But that was in the 80's. We didn't have too much "screen time" in the 80's, or did we?

We always played outside. NOPE. I have never been able to climb a fence, let alone a tree. I am not the best at riding bikes. And I don't really remember ever being absolutely filthy dirty from being outside all day long. (And I still hate dirty feet) But I do remember playing with toys inside during the day, or just hanging out in the garden, or better yet being in the pool.

Did my Mum & Dad run me around to the latest and greatest attraction every weekend? NOPE. I do remember visiting the zoo reasonably regularly. Perhaps for birthdays?Did I attend not one, but two or three or even four extra curricular activities after school or on the weekends. Most definitely not. Do I ever recall ANY extra curricular activities. NOPE. In saying that, I wish I DID have an interest that was encouraged and nurtured from a young age. And that is most certainly one thing that happened in my childhood that I intend not repeating for my son.

In comparison, my son gets really dirty outside at least 3 - 4 times a week, some days more than once, requiring a hose off (in summer) AND a shower sometimes twice a day. He watches cartoons in the mornings, and has some more "screen time" just before dinner to give myself & his Dad some time to debrief on the day. Does this equal what I remember watching in my day? Probably close to it. Do we attend regular extra curricular activities? No more than most kids, he has swimming lessons, as we don't have access to a pool (I did growing up). He has play dates once or twice a month. We go to the park or the beach at least once a week (yes, just once a week!) and try and fit in something extra special once a month. A theme park, a bigger park, a longer day at the beach, the museum and so on and so forth.

SO.... do you think it's really that different now to what it was when you were growing up? Is a comparison worth it unless you're bettering what you experienced?


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

'twas the weekend before Christmas..

and the entire house was exhausted! I have resorted to what I call the 'cop out' of parenting...turning the TV on and leaving the child to be glued to it like a brainwashed robot. Why you ask? I is tired! and I have much to get through, and whilst I want my little guy to help me with all the fun stuff, the style of whinging that only comes from a nearly 2 year old is the very last thing I wish to experience today. The weather is dreary, again, which makes standard housework even more unappealing. Who wants to hang washing out when it isn't sunny and beautiful outside?! I have sneakily switched the channel to an animal doco, still enticing enough that the little person will let it capture his attention for a few minutes at a time (hello going to the toilet in peace!) but not enough to have him glued to it for the entire day. Perhaps after his nap I will put my responsible parent cap back on and turn the TV off.

Another Shopping / Pantry Tip

Whilst the shopping to a list and meal plan is the best way to save yourself money / time there is also another nifty tip that for me works well and go hand in hand with this process. I have certain grocery items that are just in the pantry - as I am sure we all do - sauce, dressing, mayo, plain crackers, pappadums, curry powder etc Rather than try and remember what you need each week / fortnight - attach a piece of paper to your fridge or your cupboard and when you run out of something whilst cooking write it down. Make the list a permanent fixture in your kitchen so this tiny tiny task also becomes a fixture.. you'll no longer have 3 bottles of tomato sauce and no BBQ. French dressing but not italian, curry powder but not mustard powder and all types of pasta instead of 5 packets of fettucine!!!

Be Kind To Yourself...

Sleep when the baby sleeps Eat to keep up your strength Make time for yourself Have someone else feed the baby so you can have a break You hear all of that and more when you're a new Mum, all of it with good intention however it often seems like hounding and honestly how many of us heed it? It all comes down to this... Be Kind to Yourself. Recently I have learnt from a medical professional how important it is to be kind to yourself. If you are not then you will suffer for it. Maybe not straight away, maybe not in a dramatic way but you will feel it. You may feel depressed, anxious, cranky. You may put on weight, your skin my appear dull & listless. No doubt you will be tired to the point of exhaustion. And you will say to yourself and others... I'm just tired, you know having a baby is tiring...or any excuse along those lines. Be Kind To Yourself and you WILL feel better. Get some sun - just 10 minutes in the morning before it gets too hot. Have your cup of t...