There’s a time of day for stay at home parents that makes you just want to stick a fork in your eye. And that time, for those of you without kids, is between 4-6 pm, better known as the witching hours, or the sixth circle of hell. (Costco is the seventh circle, in case you’re wondering.)
What’s happened is that by that time of day, you’ve used up every trick in the book, up your sleeve, and out of your hat, and you are out of ideas. You’ve done reading time, the craft project, TV time (or you’re saving it for dinner-making time if you’re savvy), homework time, outdoor time, free play time, and quiet/nap time. Plus the WF (whine factor) automatically ratchets up after 4 pm and increases exponentially until the other parent/caregiver gets home. Fresh blood is as important to the stay at home parent as it is to vampires.
So what do you do during those two hours where time seems to go backwards in slow motion? (Kind of like a "Lost" episode. Now where is that damn hatch?)
Not much, is the answer. I once asked a group of mothers what they did during the witching hours. One of them suggested going grocery shopping with my kids at 4 pm. I’d rather have my teeth pulled without anesthetic than do that, but maybe that’s just me. Or maybe I should ask some other people.
What does one do with these hours of endlessness? It’s not easy. Taking a walk is fine, if it’s not already dark, and you’re not so fried you can’t think straight; you have small children to protect. Play doh? Been there, done that. How many times can you squeeze it through the pump thingy and say “ewwwww”?
Sometimes we’re just all waiting for supper to happen so we can get ready for bed. It’s tiring, this growing up business. Kids have long days with probably too much stimulation, so no wonder by the end of the day they’re wiped out. There’s also so much pressure on today’s parents to do everything and more within their power to make their child’s life “perfect”, which is, of course, impossible AND ridiculous. We can help our children, lead the way, but ultimately they have to walk out into the big world themselves. Gulp.
So let’s hear from you, my select and cherished readers: what do YOU do between four and six PM?
And the Oscar Goes to. . . .Yawn
2 years ago
I gave my kids supper at 5 or 5:30. It totally calmed them. And when they got slightly older, they would help me prepare supper from 4-5 (washing veggies, setting table, no sharp knives), then eat it. Adults often ate later, but everyone was much happier this way.
ReplyDeleteI lie quivering in a gelatinous mass recovering from the day's events.
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