HomeTeeter Totter ~ Finding a Balance Between Me-Hood and Motherhood
Gender: female Date of Birth: January 01, 1973 Member Since: September 11, 2007 Last Signed In: November 30, 2008 Blog Views: 8590 Send To A Friend Sign Guestbook Add as a Friend
Tradition Interrupted
Enjoy Your "Day Off!" Building Self Esteem Blogging Tips Ho Ho Ho (or something like it) I Love Cell Phones… I Hate Them Pruning Your Life A Crafty Gift My Husband Martha Food For Thought September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 Teeter Totter Finding a Balance Between "Me-Hood" and "Motherhood" In this blog I'll be covering as wide a variety of subjects as the duties of a real mom in today's culture. From raising special needs children, family vacations, marriage, relationships, sex, cooking, local to-do, school (both for you and the children), working, hiring a daycare provider, arts and crafts, decorating, holidays, to well... EVERYTHING! No holding back. 
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Letting Go...
...Even around sharp objects. –sigh- not an easy task for any parent. With my own son, I do let him grow and learn and make those leaps of faith, but my grandmother is inside my head screaming the whole time. My case in point... This weekend my 14 ½ year old wanted to make home made French fries to go with our 4th of July meal. Yes, hot oil, sharp knives, I couldn’t breathe from the moment he said “French Fries.” “Don’t you mean oven baked fries?” I hopefully asked. Nope, from scratch fried in a pan. Uuuuuggghh. Then I remembered all the things I was doing and cooking at his age and caved. Ok, make your fries. He’s been cooking for a long time now and knows how to use a knife. Still, you have to use a BIG one to cut potatoes. The peeling went well (of course), but when that big knife came out, I thought I’d faint. I showed him how to hold the potato down with a fork to keep your fingers far away, but he didn’t like that method. With every “shunk” of the knife through the potato, a flying finger went through my head. As soon as the logical side of my brain knew he had the hang of it and how to cut them into the right size pieces, I left the kitchen. I couldn’t take being in there with him and not screaming “YOU’RE GOING TO CUT A FINGER OFF!!!” Of course, he didn’t, the fries came out beautiful. I was super impressed. He did get a grease burn though. “SEE!” Screamed the inner grandmother in my head. “I KNEW HE’D GET HURT!” I smeared Vaseline on it (you don’t put water on a grease burn) and told him “Now… you are a chef! Your first burn.” He took it like a big man, not a sioux chef. His fries were so delicious. My inner grandmother is quiet for now, bloated on fries. Letting go never gets any easier. 10 comments from 7 users
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posted by
hmoeckli
on Jul 7, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Good for you! I cannot imagine Em using KNIVES! Yikes. I'm the total hover parent at the park. I actually forced myself to back up five feet the other day. I swear, I must have looked crazy to other parents.
posted by
creatress
on Jul 7, 2008 at 11:57 AM
I was right there with you at the park days. I'm a hover mom by nature. It's really hard for me to let him do things himself if they could at all be dangerous, even if it's irrational (like crossing the street at the cross walk WITH a crossing guard.) I wish when each child was born you were given a time line chart. "This is when they can stay home, cook, bathe without you, walk to school..." It's so hard knowing when's the right time for all these things! posted by
ToscaSac
on Jul 7, 2008 at 01:55 PM
Glad you took this step and can clearly see it. That is all we can really ask for. I think I have a healthy relationship in this area but then once in a while something new comes along and stretches me so it is a learning growing process of parent and child. Things under my care like household chores and cooking don't usually seem to be the issue tho it's more wide world stuff. And because mine is aware beyond her years this adds to the challenges! yikes sigh Step by step. Day by day. It's good for them to see us conquering our fears and yet at times tredding lightly so they become aware of how growth comes healthy into their own lives. The kind they choose that is not always so instinctual. posted by
ktja
on Jul 7, 2008 at 05:28 PM
Ahh! Knifes? That hasn't even crossed my mind yet. We're still working with safety scissors! Baby steps....
posted by
creatress
on Jul 7, 2008 at 05:36 PM
Thanks for the comments ToscaSac . I wonder if I had a daughter if I'd be quite so nervous? Or if my son was more physically coordinated? Not sure, you just deal with the cards you have.
posted by
MiaMama
on Jul 7, 2008 at 05:38 PM
Knives and broken glass terrify me! But, if I Mia to cook for us as she gets older I'm going to have to trust that she'll be safe as well!A time line chart would be a sell out! posted by
creatress
on Jul 7, 2008 at 05:48 PM
It's interesting. All the things you have to anticipate when you're a mother. I often feel like I could kick Einstein's butt with my multi-tasking plan-ahead brain! MOM POWER!
posted by
wifemotherdaughtersister
on Jul 8, 2008 at 01:26 PM
i think parenthood really tests your boundaries of anxiety. i have found that now as a mom i am paranoid of things that i didn't think was mentally possible for me. at the same time i think there are things i should be a little more nervous about. so it's a strange combo of nervous/laidback.
posted by
AmandaS
on Jul 8, 2008 at 01:48 PM
knives and grease. Dang, girl, you really let those apron strings drag on the floor. I freak out about knives, but am fairly relaxed and groovy about other thing that they could potentially maim themselves doing. Once when Ava was about 2 1/2 she opened and consumed about 1/2 a bottle of children's cloraseptic. Nice. I called poison control. They were very supportive. Too bad there is no knife control. posted by
creatress
on Jul 8, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Hahaha, Knife controll. Yeah, the ER! I agree with you wifemotherdaughtersister . There are things that my husband gets uptight about that I'm cool with and vice versa. It works out really nicely!
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