PARENTS WITH PASSIONS...

PARENTS WITH PASSIONS...

So everyone knows I LOVE to write. The awesome ladies that you see contributing to this blog LOVE to write. We almost live, eat and breathe it daily, nightly… What you may not know is that many of us are moms. Some of us have kids that are still in the home which means they still need us very much- our time pretty much belongs to them. The rest…or a great deal of the rest belongs to our passions.

While making dinner one afternoon, I thought of devoting my blog entry this time around to discussing those passions. I was rushing around the kitchen putting everything together and it dawned on me just how much of my world centers on my writing. Moreover it dawned on me how much of my world centers on my being a mom. When I compared the two, I was very delighted to discover that the greater portion revolved around AlTonya Washington- the mom.

I think that managing that time between work and family can be a challenge for anyone. For parents with passions that extend beyond the daily grind of a 9-5 job that management skill takes on a whole other meaning. Speaking for myself, I know that I could never ‘manage’ that balance were it not for certain expectations I set in place for me and my child back when he was just starting elementary school. He walked into the room one day obviously needing to discuss something very important: His LEGO collection. Anyway, he saw me writing and for a few moments I was so involved in whatever scene I was trying to put down that I didn’t notice him there in the doorway. I caught sight of him as he was leaving and called him over. It almost broke my heart when he stood there and apologized for bothering me. BOTHERING ME?

I knew right then that it was time to put those expectations into place. I told him that ANYTIME he needed to talk or just wanted to sit with me or a hug (I put that one in place for meJ) that he was to come on in. I needed him to understand that when we’re home together nothing is more important than the time we spend together.  As parents, our responsibility is to support our children: emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Unfortunately, kids many times resent that responsibility especially when it means Mom or Dad might miss their game or time answering a homework question or just being there for those hugs. Since I also work outside of the home, I never wanted my child to resent my extra responsibilities that draw on my time inside the home.

Truth be told, I enjoy those little interruptions which provide the much needed mini-breaks (and comic relief) that all writers can benefit from every now and again. The interruptions are starting to wane as my son gets older but he does drop in every now and again to check on me, play around or discuss something important: The latest video game he downloaded. LOL!