Saturday
Dec272008
Slippery slope
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Today my family gathered at my parents' place to have a family picture taken. I've been here with my husband and kids for five days now and cabin fever is starting to set in.
The first few days we didn't go out much because it was Christmas and we were busy with our annual traditions. Since then, the freezing rain has been keeping us in. Today as my sister's friend came to pick her up, she got stuck in the middle of the road in a flat section that was covered with ice and couldn't go forwards or backwards. My brothers and several neighbours had to go outside and push her and countless other stuck cars along the road. Not pleasant driving or walking weather, so we've kept the kids inside in a house that isn't really designed for running around and going crazy.
Most adults would be able to take this time to relax, to slow down, to recharge their batteries. But kids don't work that way. At least mine don't. Not getting enough exercise and enough fresh air is a trigger for poor sleep, poor behaviour, and generally a miserable time for all. We've had more tears, more sleep resistance, and more complaints that we normally would over the past few days.
This morning, not realizing how bad the weather was, I asked my daughter before we got out of bed if she would like to go to the big park with the little balls (a huge indoor playground). She was excited by the idea and I was excited at the possibility of letting her and her brother run around for a few hours. Unfortunately, the slick conditions outside didn't let us leave the house. And we spent another day playing quietly, reading books, watching DVDs, eating, and sitting around.
As I brought my little girl to bed tonight, she whimpered sadly to me "big park with little balls...." in a tone of voice that could break your heart. I wanted to go too darling. I hope tomorrow we can get out.
The first few days we didn't go out much because it was Christmas and we were busy with our annual traditions. Since then, the freezing rain has been keeping us in. Today as my sister's friend came to pick her up, she got stuck in the middle of the road in a flat section that was covered with ice and couldn't go forwards or backwards. My brothers and several neighbours had to go outside and push her and countless other stuck cars along the road. Not pleasant driving or walking weather, so we've kept the kids inside in a house that isn't really designed for running around and going crazy.
Most adults would be able to take this time to relax, to slow down, to recharge their batteries. But kids don't work that way. At least mine don't. Not getting enough exercise and enough fresh air is a trigger for poor sleep, poor behaviour, and generally a miserable time for all. We've had more tears, more sleep resistance, and more complaints that we normally would over the past few days.
This morning, not realizing how bad the weather was, I asked my daughter before we got out of bed if she would like to go to the big park with the little balls (a huge indoor playground). She was excited by the idea and I was excited at the possibility of letting her and her brother run around for a few hours. Unfortunately, the slick conditions outside didn't let us leave the house. And we spent another day playing quietly, reading books, watching DVDs, eating, and sitting around.
As I brought my little girl to bed tonight, she whimpered sadly to me "big park with little balls...." in a tone of voice that could break your heart. I wanted to go too darling. I hope tomorrow we can get out.
Reader Comments (3)
Awww... poor thing. We were recently stuck inside for a couple of weeks as well and it was AWFUL. Here's hoping conditions improve tomorrow :)
Your post, which seems to be just a simple journal entry carries so much good advice if we read between the lines. Children need physical activity and fresh air. I cringe when I am made aware of some young mothers today who just sit inside with their kids and let them play video games or watch TV for hours on end. When our children were young my husband built a 1400 square foot covered patio onto the back of our house so that even on rainy days they could go outside and ride and play. I am sure it saved my sanity and theirs.
@ Michelle - still too slippery to play outside, but they did get to go to the indoor playground yesterday
@Janis - thank you and I agree. We also have a large deck on our house that is partially covered. The covered area is unfortunately not large enough to run around though (just to sit under). Your covered patio sounds wonderful!