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Good Moms

It's about time we toot our own horns.

By Angie RobinsonPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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I am awfully tired of hearing again and again how much a simple elf, that sits on a shelf (or tree, or lamp, or wherever you put him) is SO annoying and SO strenuous.

Are you serious? Have you forgotten childbirth? Have you forgotten the first years of drs visit and immunizations shots? (Those who still do protect our children through years of scientific development and billions of dollars in research and preventatives.) Have you forgotten teething? Or filling out paperwork to get your child enrolled in school or finding an appropriate daycare? (Speaking to working mothers. None working mothers, I'm even more baffled by you—mind you I have been both).

A simple elf... that you move once a day until Christmas ..has gotten too much for parenting? Really? What exactly are you doing to partake in memory making of your child's childhood. They are only small once. I'm perturbed at the though that parents are more focused on "this deal at Sephora' or have read articles on "I'm a wine drinking mom, and I'm okay with that." You know what? So am I. But I am not a mom who is going to sit there in the comments and agree on HOOWW ANNOOYYIINNG moving an elf on the shelf is.

Do you not realize, every morning until Christmas your child wakes with excitement wondering where the elf is? That excitement grows, the more you participate. How much effort is it really asking? I'm a full time working single mother and primary parent—yet I find time to do this. Every year. What gives you the right to hitch on to the bandwagon putting a negative stigmata on a plush filled elf doll. Have you become that hateful and lazy? Don't buy it. Don't start it. Don't even go in that direction, if your ever not willing to follow through—then I will not judge you. If you purchase and provide a few days of excitement, but then become lazy and complacent with the thought of "oh every one else is complaining about it, let me add on" that does not make it ok.

Sure I get annoyed. So many times, I'm bundled up, about to falll asleep, but then my eyes shoot open 👀 remembering that I didn't move Elvis (our elf). So I get my tired ass out of bed and do it, like any good mom should.

Stop being lazy.

I have way too many articles commending mothers "oh hunny, we've all been there. It's ok. We condone this current premise of lazy behavior in a mother." Making it ok. And it spreads.

Well this article is for the good mother. The mother that still tries. The mother that doesn't hitch on to the "Being tired is relatable, that's why I don't do shit" articles.

We're all tired. It's called a parenting. That what happens when you have a kid. You can either succumb to 18 years of tired, or you can make the most of it with coffee a tired smiles. Get a grip.

"My daughter missed the bus 12 times so far this school year. I should home school her." No, you should set an alarm, wake up, help your daughter wake up. Get her washed and fed and ready for the bus. Stand out there when the bus comes. Wave good bye to her to show her she matters. Wait for the bus to leave and start your damn day. If that means going track to bed until she comes home, so Ben it. But when she is home, be a mom again. Put forth some effort.

"Charlie doesn't like to wake up early in the mornings on the weekend." Neither do my kids. But you know what? Sometimes it has to be done. Sleeping is done every daygetting a healthy sleep schedule is not. Children 0—in elementary school should be woken near the time they are having to wake up during school hours. This keeps them on a consistent schedule. Does it mess with your weekend sleep in schedule? Of course. But suck it up. You're the mom. Lead by example.

Crowded places, loud noises, tired children. Still did it. And do you know why? Because the children would see Santa, eat breakfast and get their face painted. Would it involve a strenuous debate on "why" and complaints of "I'm tired?" Yes. But within minutes of being there, it was washed away by enthusiasm, curiosity and genuine enjoyment. Get up moms, and make it worth it.

Will they be tired? Yes. Will it be worth it? Yes.

So this article id to those moms who still try.

My son asked me if he should have brought his (my) tablet so we could watch YouTube while we ate breakfast, after swing the kid across from us watching Pokémon, and his bored and uninvolved father sat there beside him. I told my son no, were eating breakfast with Santa, this is an important event. Imagine how long it took the elves to set it up? My son is eight, on the verge of no linger believe it. With my simple question, he took off in this imaginative conversation about elves and the Christmas Town work history. He no longer though about a tablet. He no longer thought about YouTube.

ENGAGE WITH YOUR CHILDREN?

They are only little once. You won't get that back. And as tired of pictures my daughter was becoming of every snap I took, she still posed. She still laughed. She still dropped help paci when seeing a giant Christmas tree or the big man himself, Santa.

SOntake your kids out of the house. Make adventures with them. Engage with them. Give them a childhood memory worth having. Love isn't purchased. Love = Effort, and always has.

Be a good parent. Move the damn elf.

Elvis, sick after the kids touched him on day 4.

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