If I had a nickel for every time I responded with “Not right now, son”, I’d be loaded! I know kids barely have a sense of time. They often ask at the worst possible times to do just about anything. The one that gets me in the gut every single time, is when it’s my response to them asking if they can go outside to play.
My dad and 14 year old, took the youngest 3 to the park Sunday night. It’s in my community and the entrance is less than 500 feet away from my yard. We can hear other kids playing there. We can watch them walk into it. We live in one of the safest cities, which says a lot for being outside Portland, OR. I have no excuses. This week, I’m pretty sure Matthew (4) asked every day if we can go outside to play. “Not right now, son”. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. They haven’t been outside since Sunday. Between school, work, and cleaning – I have exactly zero energy or desire to take them outside to play. How horrible is that? I ordered B-12 cause my doctor said my levels were basically flatlined. When the bottle showed up this afternoon, I took one of those little suckers! And guess what? I don’t feel like a zombie right now! I’m not zooming around like Superman, but I’m not beyond exhausted for once. So guess what I did? After dinner, I told my kids we’re going outside to play! And we did exactly that. 45 minutes at the park with a ball.
This magic little pill may just become the game changer this mama needs. The guilt. The shame. The isolation. Maybe someday I’ll look back on this blog post and know it was the start of many successful trips outside of my house with the boys. One day at a time, but today, I absolutely crushed being intentional!
Outnumbered Six to One 