mothers day is coming up and as the only mother of school age children at my church i have been asked to be interviewed in church on the day.
i have thought about my answers to the questions but i thought i'd ask for your thoughts. it might help me to think in a new direction.
when you've all commented and i have my thoughts in some kind of order i'll post about it.
what do you most enjoy about being a mother/parent?
what do you find most difficult about it?
what advice would you give to the parents/ mother of a two year old?
having asked those questions i'm also wondering, do you think that the issues of mothering are different to the issues of parenting?
Kylie,
ReplyDeleteDo you have many children at your church? We have 10 kids under the age of 10 yrs old and all in primary school. Helen was always that much older and now has outgrown them and has not attended Sunday school for a few years now.
I went to the local library and was confronted by heaps of toddlers and mums with prams. It was Story Time. It brought back memories!
1. I enjoy the responsibility of guiding my child in the right direction.
2. It is difficult to know when to let go.
3. The terrible twos will soon pass! Just wait until you get to the tweens!!
I'm looking at the side bar. It says I was here 9 hours ago. That is a lie! You and I both know it. Why would Blogger lie like that. Hummmmmmmmmmm. Food for thought.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm here to comment on parenthood/motherhood. Okay, so I'm neither a parent nor a mother, however, I have some thoughts.
1. Nothing.
2. Nothing.
3. Run like hell!
XO ;)
good one, Kylie:
ReplyDelete1. I most enjoy watching Ella become her own little person. A person I genuinely like and admire.
2. Disciplining without being either too weak or too harsh.
3. Toddlers are where they're at. The tantrum? The little bad mood? Try to roll with it. (haha easier said than done).
Can't wait to hear what you have to say.
Oh wait, as for your question. Motherhood to me is a specific, definite, separate thing from parenthood in general.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that said, anyone can assume the mothering, the primary, role. We have dear friends who are gay and have a little boy, and one of them has adopted the mothering role. Also, another couple where the dad is the stay-at-home.
I think it has to do with being the primary object of attachment more than anything else.
so leah, if mothering is the position of primary caregiver, do you think your answers would be different if you were not the primary carer? and/or do you think sarge would answer differently to you. if he did, would that be because he is a different person with different perspective or because he is in a different role?
ReplyDeletei know i'm splitting hairs here but i just love considering all the permutations of these kinds of issues. just tell me to shut up if its painful :)
jo and suze: i'll be back
Can't help you with this one Kylie... sorry.
ReplyDeletehi jo
ReplyDeletemy kids are the only ones of school age and were the only children for many years. now there is a group of young families. they all have the oldest child around three, most have a second and one couple is up to the third so there are 7 kids under four and an eighth on the way. it will be wonderful for those to grow up together.
liam hasnt gone to sunday school since he was about ten, i think but our younger three still do.
it hasnt been easy to get comitted teachers and our kids have had a patchy kind of sunday schooling, fortunately we have a local baptist church which does a really really good job of scripture in schools and the kids have done well with that.
suzy!
ReplyDeletethe side bar says you posted 9 hours ago!
you are right. running is a very good talent to have with toddlers :)
i couldnt run so i just shouted. it also works :)
bob
ReplyDeletei'm glad you dropped by
and you are most welcome to add any thoughts you have about children
xo
Kylie,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to tell you that the french trip is cancelled again. Not too much of a surprise this time considering the economic climate.
Are you still considering the china trip?
Considering the horrible economic climate, I've decided not to come to Australia. See, it all evens out.
ReplyDeleteXO
My favorite thing is to see their amazment when they learn something new. For my boys, it usually has something to do with science.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part is dicipline. I can't stand to hurt their feelings, yet sometimes it is necessary.
Invest in ear plugs. If you can ignore the tantrums, they get over it that much quicker.
I gave you an award at my blog.
The most difficult part these days is trying not to turn into too much of a friend, because I still need to be a parent. It's hard because there's only the two of us...
ReplyDeleteAnd for those toddler parents? Follow through. Follow through. If you say no cookie, then NO COOKIE. Compromise is okay, but two year olds are too young to understand why you're giving in. All they know is that screaming got them the cookie...