A Look Back...1995

I recently was going through a bin in my garage and ran across the following school news article. I had written it 17 years ago while working with families that chosen to home school their children. I was 31 years old and my three children were 5 1/2, 3 1/2 and 5 months old. I got a kick out of reading it and found it had some sage advice from my younger self. See if you agree.

     Some New Year's Resolutions of mine:
#1 Get more sleep (when you have a 5 month old, this is a priority).
#2 Begin to exercise more regularly.
#3 Get more sleep (when you haven't slept one full night in 3+ weeks, this is a priority).
#4 Learn to say no when possible.
#5 Get more sleep...
     Yawn! Sleep. It's all I think about lately. As a mother of a young baby who has been plagued by colic, ear infections and colds, a toddler with nightmares and a 5 year old who frequently wakes up cold, I just need one good night's rest. Really, that is all.
     I base my daily life on how much sleep I've gotten. Good days = lots of sleep. Bad days = little/no sleep. It's a simple equation. Except for one factor, actually three. Somehow, my three children do not equate their lives in that manner. They just see that Mommy's happy, or Mommy's sad, or silly or, yes, Mommy's grumpy. My children learn from me, and your children, from you. In a perfect world, I'd always be in a good mood and home life would run smoothly. But in reality, sometimes life is bumpy. (In my case due to a backlog of bad = no sleep days!) I also know in my case, it's due to the season in my life. My children are little, their needs are great and, as said earlier, I need more sleep. You may be experiencing a little post holiday frustration after all of the recent preparations. Let's all try to just get back into the swing of things in January. And even if things aren't always going as well as we might like, let's be content that they're going at all!
     With that in mind I'd like to share some mothering quotes I've read recently (source: Mothering Cards-Inspiration for Mothers of all Ages copyright 1991 Sally Fowler-Haughley)
     "Everything you do in the presence of your child has the effect of teaching."
     "In difficult times, nourish yourself with support and inspiration. Remind yourself, 'This too shall pass."
     "The perfect mother does not exist. It is normal to make mistakes."
     "Every child is a teacher. Observe your child and learn from the gifts she has come into the world to share."
                          Happy Schooling!
                                                     Kathy
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                                                                    z
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