I hear people say that when majority of your time is spent with kids, you get shallow and there is a tendency to stay stagnant, your brains getting rusty and all those other nasty stuff. I would strongly have to disagree with that. It really all depends on the parent-at-watch. Aside from the fact that it takes a whole lot of creativity and activity to catch up with the little ones.
If you don’t give effort to learn and expand your horizon, then that’s just about what’s going to be the default. One thing for sure, never go on “auto pilot” when you are stuck with the kids, or a kid, whichever is applicable. You owe it to yourself to be wiser, better and be more beautiful inside out.
So before I get serious and scold all those people looking down on work from home and stay at home moms, allow me to share a few snippets of my conversations with my little three year old guy that no corporate ladder success is gonna give me.
During times when we get crazy together:
son: “You’re funny, Mama!”
me: “You’re funnier!”
son: “You’re funniest!”
When I talk to him in tagalog:
son: “What are you talking about, Mama? What are you talking about?”
When papa shows him a picture of his funny photo:
son: (when he couldn’t get words to describe how funny the picture was) “Oh papa, you’re crazy!”
Just out of the blue, especially when I’m giving him his bath or brushing his teeth:
son: “I love you, Mama.”
me: “I love you more, Jed.”
son: “I love you more also, Mama.”
