Having two small children and a household to run is hard work, but one thing I’ve consistently observed is how much difference my approach to my children makes in how frustrated I am and how well our days go. The busy (and sometimes lazy) part of me wants to parent by remote control. I want to say something and *zap* have a small child on the other end automatically hear and comply without a wimper. In reality, between not hearing me, lack of impulse control and general childishness, the remote control parenting strategy rarely works. But I’m busy doing something else and it would be convenient if it did. Most of the time, I try the old “get off your butt” approach to parenting, and this works wonders. I strive to say things once and to follow up with being *right there*, physically assisting the girls in compliance. Is it inconvenient to get off my butt (turn away from the stove or washer or momentarily stop taking care of the other child)? Absolutely. Does it accomplish what I need with mimimal frustration to me and exasperation to my girls? Definitely. The laundry pile will always be there, but the chance to get down on the floor and help my children learn and grow is fleeting. Even though I know this, the temptation to parent by remote control reappears week after week. It’s not easy, this mothering thing.
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Paterson, The Great Gilly Hopkins
Sloan, Ajax Penumbra 1969
Mandel, Station Eleven
Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty
Shakespeare, As You Like It
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