Happy New Year! Belatedly - true - but isn't 2010 swell??
OK - so you haven't yet made up your mind - but every year starts with new expectations, new resolutions & you just cannot help yourself...you find yourself filled with new hope...before you know it the year takes over with its little tasks & you forget the hope with which it began!
During my childhood Christmas was a lot of fun....it was a real family time & time we didn't get to spend together during the year was all made up at Christmas...or so it seems now...but when I really reminisce - my family really did spend a lot of family time together during school holidays (we were in boarding school the rest of the year!).
So - now I try to recreate that excitement for my boys - C1 is at an age when he understands that Santa Claus is coming & that he gets loads of presents, but how do you teach a 5 years old who's entire world revolves around himself that Christmas is about giving? With gentle reminders. We let him talk about what he wants from everyone & then steer him in the direction of OK so what do you want to buy for Mama & for Thathi (Dad) & Malli (Little Brother). He actually stops & thinks about it...that is an accomplishment in itself....he is now thinking about some-one other than himself.
As a mother - this Christmas holiday went swimmingly well. Naturally we had our share of squabbles between C1 & C2 - but nothing to get overly stressed about & after a very long time & as terrible as it sounds - I truly enjoyed my kids.
THAT was a good feeling. When you have one child its easy to enjoy him or her. Then C2 comes along & you feel as you're permanently defending C2's life first from attacks from his jealous brother & then from himself - because let's face it - C2 is NEVER the same calm child C1 was as baby & then a toddler & pre-schooler & C1 has made an amazing transformation right before your very eyes from your loving, caring, calm child into this green-eyed monster that only wants to wreak havoc, no matter how nice you are to him.
How to strike that balance? How do you give C1 the love & assurance he so obviously needs & is so obviously crying out for & still discipline him? Well it's frustrating to say the least & there are times when you are filled with anger & almost forget that this is just a little boy wanting attention from him Mama.
Then I received this book Raising Boys from my sister & in the hopes of starting anew with C1 in the new year - I have been reading excerpts - reading the parts that interest me to begin with & it has been a wonder. It gently reminds of the importance & traits of each parent's role. The importance of the father-figure is addresses as much as the mother-figure. And hopefully it will help me re-capture more & more of what seems to get lost in the everyday fray of discipline & routine.
It is a book I would highly recommend every parent of boys to read......both parents. It certainly helps re-capture the wonder of boys, the trials, the tribulations & above all the joys that a child brings.
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