Ruth's blog: How was your weekend?

[Monday morning. Two colleagues start a video call]

• Hello! Happy Monday!
• Hi! Yes, you too! How was your weekend? Get up to…anything?

[They exchange knowing giggles, eye rolls etc]

• Well, you know, ANOTHER winter lockdown weekend…
• Oh yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean…still, at least you had some good family time?

After another such weekend I can imagine the above script playing out in real life for goodness knows how many people, myself included. As I write this on a Sunday evening, I am putting off doing the weekly Tesco order…

• Hi! I’m Tesco! We sell everything you can imagine! And some items that you even can’t! What exciting items will you add to your basket this week? Sumac? Dragon fruit? Langoustine? 
• Ummm…well you know the 70 items you brought last Monday? Could you sort of…just bring the same? Plus some deodorant. I’ve run out but no-one has noticed as I work from home now. And no more raisins, I think I’m sick of them now. Ditto blue cheese and prosecco and I didn’t think that would EVER happen…

This weekend was definitely one of two halves. One day with 1x post-migraine parent and 1x tired parent, not much energy or pizazz or patience between us. Sorry little ones, it’s not your fault. A day of what I think of as checklist parenting:

• Nutritious breakfast
• Healthy mid-morning snack
• Exercise outside
• Balanced lunch
• Chill time while the toddler naps
• Some kind of activity that has not descended into chaos
• TV
• Whatever you want for tea, you’ve had all the balanced bits
• Has everyone had a poo today?
• Bath and teeth and relaaaax

And one far more fun day when everyone was more cheerful and we laughed and it wasn’t freezing cold or rainy! We’ve done some good stuff today: we have cooked together, and even let our daughter use a sharp knife (CAREFUL!  FINGERS!). We have played in our garden and done some gardening together. We made an amazing playground out of Duplo (twice – woops). We have painted together. We have done puzzles: both children’s ones and also had some help on our grown up one. We have video-called our family. We have read, and us grown-ups have even had some reading time to ourselves. Today has been a good day for family time.

And as our leggy 5-year-old curls into a ball on my lap I am aware that one day, I won’t get daily cuddles like this and sloppy kisses. I won’t get the updates on who used up all the green paint at school and who pushed who down the slide. I won’t get news from the toddler such as “Mr Snail is happy” (nursery’s pet: massive icky African land snail) or “we eat custard! Play trains with me?”.

THAT is good family time and THAT is what gets us through the tired days. I am the LUCKIEST mummy in the world.

Ruth works 4 days per week in a central London accounting & tax firm.  She lives in South West London with her husband, two children aged 5 and 2 and a tank of tropical fish.

Tags:
• Families