we had a scare this morning. or more accurately, i guess i had a scare.
i was in my bathroom, fixing my hair and doing my makeup, etc. john is old enough now that he can play in the living room or his room while i get ready; he doesn't have to be right by my side. when he's in the living room, i can hear him since it's right around the corner. when he's in his bedroom, i can hear him through the wall of the bathroom, which is also the wall of his room.
about halfway through my makeup, i realized i didn't hear anything. nothing. silence. it's *never* silent in our house.
so i called out to him. "john?" walked into the living room - nothing. "john?" walked into the kitchen - nothing. "baby? john?" walked into his bedroom - nothing. i've checked almost all of the house now. he's nowhere. he can't have gotten out. what if he's hurt? what if he knocked himself out somehow? what if - oh, the terrible what-ifs of a mom's mind.
finally i went back into his room and noticed his closet door was cracked an inch or two. i pull it open, almost scared of what i'll see. "john?" and there he is, just fine. fascinated by the little mirror on an old baby toy of his, turning it this way and that, so involved he didn't even realize i was frantically calling for him.
and it got me thinking ... john is with me every morning. we get ready together, we ride to school/work together. but in those busy mornings, how much of my attention does he really get? almost none. i'm eating/feeding him/feeding the dog/showering/getting dressed/doing hair and makeup/getting him dressed/putting the dog in the kennel/out the door and gone.
so i have a question for you other parents. how do you handle this divided attention? is it just a fact of being a parent? do i just accept that mornings are for getting ready, not for seeing each other? and what if he HAD gotten out of the house, how long would it have taken me to notice he was gone? how do you balance the necessities of leaving the house with taking care of your most important little priority(ies)?
i'd love to know what other parents think, 'cause this morning made me feel pretty terrible.
i was in my bathroom, fixing my hair and doing my makeup, etc. john is old enough now that he can play in the living room or his room while i get ready; he doesn't have to be right by my side. when he's in the living room, i can hear him since it's right around the corner. when he's in his bedroom, i can hear him through the wall of the bathroom, which is also the wall of his room.
about halfway through my makeup, i realized i didn't hear anything. nothing. silence. it's *never* silent in our house.
so i called out to him. "john?" walked into the living room - nothing. "john?" walked into the kitchen - nothing. "baby? john?" walked into his bedroom - nothing. i've checked almost all of the house now. he's nowhere. he can't have gotten out. what if he's hurt? what if he knocked himself out somehow? what if - oh, the terrible what-ifs of a mom's mind.
finally i went back into his room and noticed his closet door was cracked an inch or two. i pull it open, almost scared of what i'll see. "john?" and there he is, just fine. fascinated by the little mirror on an old baby toy of his, turning it this way and that, so involved he didn't even realize i was frantically calling for him.
and it got me thinking ... john is with me every morning. we get ready together, we ride to school/work together. but in those busy mornings, how much of my attention does he really get? almost none. i'm eating/feeding him/feeding the dog/showering/getting dressed/doing hair and makeup/getting him dressed/putting the dog in the kennel/out the door and gone.
so i have a question for you other parents. how do you handle this divided attention? is it just a fact of being a parent? do i just accept that mornings are for getting ready, not for seeing each other? and what if he HAD gotten out of the house, how long would it have taken me to notice he was gone? how do you balance the necessities of leaving the house with taking care of your most important little priority(ies)?
i'd love to know what other parents think, 'cause this morning made me feel pretty terrible.
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