As I write this, I am sitting outside my daughter’s bedroom, listening to her sob incessantly. Its 11 pm and she’s hungry again. She ate a full meal at 7pm and has been in bed since 9pm...
This experience and others like it display a daily reality for parents around the world who have lost their routine and sanity, all in the last few weeks. To help you look towards a brighter future, here are 20 small wins that mums in lock-down can celebrate, should they miraculously materialise. Please note: I have not once experienced any of the following wins. I have imagined, nay, fantasised about some of them occurring and hope that other mums are having more luck than I am.
1. The day your kids eat a mere 5 snacks instead of 500
2. The day EVERYONE in the house gets dressed out of their PJs
3. When your children last a full ten minutes without fighting
4. When a half-hour goes by and you haven’t heard screeching or crying
5. The day you actually complete a task on the to-do-list that is has been etched in your mind since this whole thing began
6. When you finish ‘home-school’ without any tears
7. When your child actually smiles and chats politely while on video-calls to family members
8. When you say 'see you in the morning' to your kids, and it actually is the morning the next time you see them
9. When you make it through an afternoon without making an empty threat
10. When you get me-time in any way, shape or form
11. When your children last a full hour without asking for snacks
12. When your children do ANYTHING for themselves at all
13. When there is only one spectator watching you pee and not the whole household
14. When your child does something – anything – without being asked 100 times
15. The one time your child breaks their vow of ignoring you and actually listens
16. That one time you say ‘stop’ because your child is partaking in some life-threatening activity… and they actually stop
17. When your child voluntarily chooses to do something wholesome like read instead of snack while watching Netflix
18. The day you actually stick to the overly ambitious schedule you created
19. When your child cleans up after an activity...themselves
20. When your child does a teeny-tiny chore without complaining
