“The needs of a child change as the children grow, but don’t diminish in importance, whether for an infant, toddler, preschooler, grade-schooler, or high-schooler.”
- Excerpt from “In Praise of Stay-at-Home-Moms” by Dr. Laura Schlessinger-
Whether it’s caring for your newborn, helping your little one with their homework, or looking at colleges together… each age and developmental stage requires needs and each one is equally important. I have heard many times about the father who gets home and the minute he walks in the door he gets bombarded. What some fathers don’t realize is that when that little guy runs up to you and is jumping up and down to show you his macaroni masterpiece, that is the very most important thing in his life at that moment. Therefore, this should also be the very most important thing in your life at that moment as well. Over the years that macaroni will be replaced with report cards and acceptance letters. Again, each one will be equally important to them at the time.
My husband Dave and I have always talked about the “what would you do” situations that we will run into as parents. Well, now they have become “what will we do” situations. Some of the choices that we will have to make as parents, we have already discussed and agreed on. Our clear communication may help us later with the unexpected circumstances we know parenting will bring.
“There is no such thing as quality time as an entity separate from quantity time. You can never know when a moment of angst or curiosity will hit your child, and you have to be responsive to that moment or feeling in your special way. Quality moments occur only when there is quantity time for them to spontaneously occur.”
- Excerpt from “In Praise of Stay-at-Home-Moms” by Dr. Laura Schlessinger-
Being a stay at home mom, I have the privilege to be present for every moment of curiosity, spark of interest, accomplishment, and even the times of anxiety. All of these are sporadic events. So, how can a parent that spends just a few hours a day expect to be involved in their child’s development when these crucial opportunities of growth are so spontaneous? We personally chose to work our jobs and other life events around our family and not the other way around. Our time together is so precious to us that we sometimes go without other things to allow us to have that. For example, we may not be able to go out for dinner, but that means we have quality time as a family and we save money. You must set your own list of priorities and understand when and why you can’t have them all. As far as our home life goes… we are more than happy to place “being together” above anything on our list!
