Adding More Connection

It may or may not come through in my writing here, but daily life with the Critter can be challenging. Not only is he a spirited child, but I’m a spirited parent. The combination can be explosive. Our potatoes are HOT.

Lately, I’ve realized that I actually rely on our daily routine as much as he does — or, with two children and a freelance business in my care, probably even more. I tend toward disregulation (or, as I sometimes put it, I’m a chaos Muppet), and in a disorderly environment, I start feeling all jumbled up myself and sometimes fall to pieces. So I’ve been striving both to maintain a daily rhythm and to work out the kinks in our routine (like that hour or so in the late afternoon, before Brian gets home …).

I’ve also been working on adding more ways to connect with the Critter. With a routine more or less in place, it’s actually quite easy. Recently, for example, I’ve started the habit of reading to him first thing when we get up in the morning. It’s a lovely way to begin the day — snuggles with the Critter, plus giggles as the Gnome grabs at the pages of the book, and then topples over.

Yes, daily life with the Critter can be challenging. But adding more of the good stuff to our days doesn’t have to be hard.