October may bring Halloween and falling leaves, but that's not all it brings. This is the month when we set back our clocks one hour, thus getting an extra hour of "Quality Time" with our kids. Now one would think that having an extra hour of time would be a good thing, but for stay at home moms with little ones, this may not necessarily be the case.
The change in time is something that a toddler doesn't get, so how can they not wake up at their regular time..say 6:00am...and understand that it is really only 5:00am? Or understand why mommy is groaning and covering her head with her pillow. Just come by my house at 5:00am one of these mornings and see how excited I am to have that extra hour!
With the sun up earlier every morning, just like you and your kids, you may mourn that few minutes of alone time you used to have with just you, the silence, and your coffee cup. But we can smile bravely and try embracing this extra quality time with our kids, along with those flying spoonfuls of oatmeal.
And what mom wouldn't just love an extra hour of The Wiggles? Oh yeah, now that makes me smile.
But that extra hour can help moms practice their negotiating skills. A cookie for a 5 minute truce between big brother and little brother? Not a bad deal. But just think how we can polish up our bribery techniques with that extra time.
Instead of the kids practicing their future musical skills with the pots and pans while you get the bathroom all to yourself--for 3 minutes, try throwing in a purse to go through and a book or two to tear pages out of and get 5-7minutes? That deal will be sounding good come 3:00pm.
We can always use that extra hour to ponder the meaning of life. And perhaps the meaning of Barney.
And when we glance hopefully at the clock, praying to see the numbers 7:30 just to see that though darkness is creeping in, it is really only 4:30, remember that the cocktail hour cannot tell time either. Just like your toddlers.
And in those moments when the kids are finally drifting off to sleep, all tuckered out from their extra hour of play, remind yourself that Spring will be here again some day, taking pity on moms everywhere by confiscating that extra hour Fall so graciously bestowed on us.