We've all felt it, that little pang that you feel during those busy days when you can't do as much as you would like to do or feel that you should do for the kids. For example, the kids were very tired today (the baby cried all day, while the other two whined and pouted for much of the day), and so were we, so although it would have been nice to hop in the back of the car to provide them with more snacks during our drive today, play with them a little more when we arrived at our destination, or read to them before bed, I didn't. Each omission is now a small regret. There is some consolation in the fact that they did get to play with friends we're visiting at this stop, that it was a short drive that didn't necessitate many snacks, that I was in the back feeding them lunch when we started this leg of the trip, and that I sang to them and made up a story when they went to bed. This time they were knights in the story with added titles like, "the great," "the brave," and "the strong." They seemed to like it. Now many who read this post may think, "You're over-reacting. Some days are just like that. It's no big deal." I'm sure those comments are correct, but what makes it tough was that although we had a good day, the traveling and excitement of seeing so many friends and family has begun to take a toll on them from which they need to recover. We have a lot of activities planned, however, and it is unlikely they will get time to do that. Instead of showing much compassion, I was a little impatient with them during the bath/bedtime routine. So, we ended the day on a bad note, and that is the thing about which I feel the most guilt. On the bright side, we are staying here for a few more days before moving on to the next stop, so we should all be able to recover a little.
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