Have you ever read a book of short stories? That is what inspired this post. I feel like at any given time, I have a million thoughts going through my head.
Here are some of them:
Navigating the Chaos: Parenting with Kids in Three Different Schools
Mornings are chaotic. They are even more chaotic when you have three kids in three different schools. My oldest, almost 13, has been at the same school since kindergarten, and absolutely loves it. And I love it. His dad and I got divorced almost ten years ago and we share custody, so I usually have my son every other week. We live in Ooltewah and his school is in East Ridge, requiring us to drive through nightmarish construction on the freeway. It’s doable to drop him off in the morning on my way to work downtown, but it’s a challenge for my husband to pick him up in the afternoon.
This is why my middle son is attending a school closer to our house. It’s a nice, small school, and only about 10 minutes away. In August however, I got called about an opening in a preschool program for my youngest son at yet another school…so here we are with three kids in three different schools.
Once we got into the drop-off and pick-up timing routine, especially on the weeks that we have my oldest, things haven’t been too bad. The worst part is juggling three different lunch ordering systems, different pick-up and drop-off procedures, and keeping track of who needs what on which day. Overall, it’s been good, and all the kids are happy and thriving, and that’s all that really matters.
The Stress of Kids’ Birthday Planning
A birthday party should be a fun and memorable event for the child, their family, and friends. But the stress that goes on for the anxious parent is no joke. Where does this anxiety come from? Social media.
One occasionally sees stories pop up where the parents put in a bunch of effort for a party for their child and no one ends up showing up, leaving their child heartbroken and traumatized. That is my nightmare. So here I am, less than a week before my son’s 6th birthday, afraid from these stories and possibly over-inviting to make sure there are enough people present to show our son he is loved and so that he can have a memorable day.
When Loss Becomes a Wake-Up Call
I had a friend from high school, named Ilia, who I hadn’t seen in about 20 years, but we kept in touch through Facebook. I always enjoyed her funny inside jokes (she would comment on photos of my oldest and call him “King Desmond” since he was a baby because his name sounded royal to her) and her sweet and encouraging messages (on my birthday, she shared a photo of Rose from Titanic wearing the “Heart of the Ocean” that read “A very Happy Birthday to you! May God Bless you and your royal family! Also hope your husband or children get you this one day! You deserve ‘The Heart of the Ocean’ because you give so much of your heart to everyone.”)
The other day, I randomly thought: “I should reach out to her, she’s so good at reaching out, I need to return that to her.” But I got busy and didn’t. The next day, while scrolling Facebook, I saw my friend Melissa’s post which said that Ilia had passed away.
I didn’t get the chance to show Ilia the extra effort of friendship and care that crossed my mind the day before, and that’s something I have been trying to come to terms with as I try to process her untimely passing. If one positive thing comes from this, which I am sure Ilia would want, is don’t wait. If you think about someone and are wondering how they are doing, reach out to them to show them you care. Tomorrow is never promised.
Social Media Influence: Motivating or Toxic?
Is social media motivating or toxic? I feel like there is quite a gray area and we often get confused about how social media is influencing us. I saw this video a few years ago (it’s worth a watch!), and it made me think about how social media influences us and the intentions behind it. Do we want to be better for ourselves or to impress others?
If someone’s post motivates us to work out, are we truly doing it to benefit ourselves and to bring ourselves joy? Or will it instead bring jealousy for not having the body they have or for not looking as cute as they do when working out? That’s just one of many examples of the fine line between social media being motivating or toxic.
