Summertime is finally here and with the kids being home from school, there’s no better time to talk about balancing family and career. Cue up Rockwell’s Somebody’s Watching Me because this month, we’re discussing parenthood and how children will not only pick up on everything we do, but they will also, without an ounce of shame, expose you! Prepare to chuckle!
I knew it was bad juggling when one time, my four month old child sitting beside me decided to imitate his mommy and put his hand up as if he was typing a typewriter and just did that. And that’s when I was like, Oh my God, this is all he sees! I need to change that. So when you said it was hard to juggle. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I saw him imitate me. I was alarmed!
Wow. So then what changes did you make from that point forward?
What I tried to change, I didn’t get it together at the time because my first year of having a business was just crazy. But what I started doing, I started having work hours. So that I have dedicated time where I’m in front of them. I don’t know if it’s something I read or saw, but I had this mindset that whatever you’re doing, be present. So if you’re with the kids, cut out everything else, be present. If you’re working, cut out everything. Be present with that. There’s no work life balance that is a happy medium but just be present in whatever you do. That way when I’m with him, I’m not on my laptop where he can imitate me doing that. You know what I mean. So I started striving for that and got really good at that.
I feel like there’s a book about that and I don’t know who wrote it, but it’s like it’s about multitasking. Right. And basically like it says like multitasking is a farce. Like you, if you’re doing multiple things at one time, you’re not doing any of those things well, like you’re, you’re doing them okay, but like, you’re not fully engaged. You’re not going to fully enjoy the moment, if you’re with your family, right? Like you’re not fully present, so you’re not fully enjoying your family. The kids are not fully enjoying your presence because you’re not paying attention to them for the most part.
But that is new! I remember back in the day, multitasking was all the rage where you were told to multitask then after a while, you went to, Oh, multitasking sucks, because you’re actually doing all of that pretty bad. You know. I know I either saw it or read it somewhere. I was just alarmed. You know, he was cute little kid! He was like four months! And he started typing and he had this smile, you know how you take a first step and you look, and you expect to be congratulated? That was the reaction this child wanted from me but I was horrified!
Wow. They really do watch, man. They really do watch!
Mhm!
Children will definitely hold up a mirror to you! The beauty of Chinwe’s story is that she was confronted with self and held self accountable. Talk about character! She made the necessary changes to thrive in whatever space she was in, whether family or career. So, how does she do it all? The answer is…she doesn’t, but we’ll talk more about that next month. Until then, if you’re interested in the book discussed, it’s called The Myth of Multitasking by Dave Crenshaw. With summer upon us, let’s commit to being fully present! You deserve to enjoy every precious moment in its fullness!