Thursday, March 3

Apologies

Sorry for the lack of blog yesterday. I think it may be come a more common occurrence. I was somewhat reprimanded yesterday at work for not taking enough responsibility, and so my timetable yesterday looked like this:

  • 5.55-6.45: Holding Caleb on my chest while Bethany endeavoured to push us all off the bed
  • 6.45-8.00:
      • Feeding Joshua and Bethany
      • Cleaning the filter and tray on the washing machine
      • Putting on the washing
      • Making Libby's coffee and breakfast
      • Making my lunch
      • Cleaning up kitchen
      • Dressing Joshua and Bethany
      • Having a shower
      • Getting dressed
  • 8.00-8.30: Driving to work (including making some notes for a future course for work in the process)
  • 8.30-13.00: WORK
  • 13.00-14.00: Lunch 'break' - preparing the family management accounts for February (NOTE: we made a surplus - second time this tax year!)
  • 14.00-17.30: WORK (including meeting with managing partner - not good)
  • 17.30-18.00: Driving home (Radio 4)
  • 18.00-18.15: Making tea
  • 18.15-18.45: Eating tea
  • 18.45-19.15: Bathing Joshua and Bethany
  • 19.15-19.45: Washing up
  • 19.45-20.00: Putting Joshua and Bethany to bed
  • 20.00-22.00: WORK
  • 22.00-22.15: Going to bed (including winding Caleb)
  • 22.15- : Sleep (on and off)
So no time for blogging really! (or a quiet time, or exercise, for that matter)

Today I am doing this in my lunch break, my first 'work-based' blog!

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I shall take this opportunity to comment on my brother's posting of 1st March (English) [or 27th Feb (French)].

I have to agree that a newborn baby cries only because it has some material need that requires fulfillment (usually feeding from looking at Caleb) rather than because of any innate 'sinfulness'. However, from experience, it is not long before original sin rears its ugly head, and the crying becomes a weapon to assert the child's will. It's amazing how soon a small baby gets a mind of its own and is fully insistent on imposing it on its parents.

The reason that parents/parenting manuals recommend (I guess) leaving your child to cry in certain circumstances is that you need to get them in to a sensible/survivable routine before they get to this stage. The child will get to a point where they push boundaries, but if you have them 'brainwashed' into your way of thinking, it will be much easier to stick to your guns, and get them back on track.

Having said that ("the theory"), I have to admit that "the practice" is that Caleb has spent about two 'night' hours in total in his own bed! I think its something to do with being so tired by bedtime that you've got no energy for 'the fight'. In addition, when you've got two other sleeping children, you are much less ready to allow the baby to scream themselves to sleep (not that that's much fun at the best of times).

With Bethany we didn't want to wake Joshua, so we pretty much let her stay in our bed whenever she whimpered. The result was that it was getting on for two years before she would go to bed without a fuss, and sleep through [actually it might have been less than that - you'll have to check with Libby].

Ben says "I don't think that there can be such a thing as an excessive amount of holding your baby". I know what he's saying, but that only works if you don't have anything else to do. If you are mid-job, and your baby is crying (especially if you've dealt with all the usual suspects,) I don't have a problem leaving them to cry.

As to getting "irrationally angry" at your children - get used to it! I think its partly a result of tiredness, and partly (at least in my case) subconsciously seeing too much of yourself reflected in your kids. Praying for patience is the only cure I've found. [It doesn't necessarily give you more patience, but it distracts you for a while!]

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OK. My soapbox is starting to creak, and my lunch break is running out. Time to go and do something more productive!

1 Comments:

At 8:26 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

No time for exercise?! Was that a spelling mistake?

 

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