If only time wasn't so finite. I wish I felt time was less my enemy and more my friend! But as it is, I feel that with every project or activity I turn my energy towards, I'm forced to let a whole lot of equally meaningful things slide.
But certain things trump all else. And for me lately this has been the needs of my beautiful daughter.
People have always described my daughter as special. She is a dreamer, with large eyes and a tendency to stare, which draw people in. But now I look back and realise that when people called her "special" they might have been seeing more than they, or I, knew.
In the past year or so I have entered this whole new territory of having a "special-needs" child. My little girl's issues are mild compared to many, but they still require huge amounts of time and energy from my partner and I to help keep her engaged with learning.
It's all been a bit of a shock, admittedly, after having a son who seems to just soak up information by osmosis through the pores of his skin.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, that's where I've been. But I haven't finished with this darn blogging business yet. And in the meantime, I came up with some answers to some lovely questions from artist, blogger and all-round creative Jodi Wiley.
You can read them on her blog, Art by Wiley, where you can also see a really bad photo of a drawing I did of my son with me and my messy bedroom perfectly reflected in the glass! That's got to be a metaphor for something...
8 comments:
I've missed your blog very much, but I certainly understand why other things have taken up your time. Good luck with it all -- it sounds as though your kids have a lovely mum and dad, which is more special than anything else.
Thank you Sally! That's very kind. I'm set to get back into the swing of things now. Have just been adjusting, I think. Look forward to catching up with your gorgeous blog!
I'm not sure how I haven't heard about this, but I'm really sorry to hear you have been through tough times. I know F's beautiful dreamy look so well and love the way she is. I'm sure she will flourish under your care, although imagine it must be draining to need to make special effort beyond the norm. goodluck with the time-stretching, I still hear myself saying 'next year'! xxx
I completely understand how time can be more of an enemy than a friend - well put! Sounds like your children have a super special mom. It's one of the more difficult parts of the parenting job - accepting who our kids are and helping them navigate the world as they are. Good luck and looking forward to reading more of your posts.
According to New Scientist, time is not finite – but yeah, I reckon those physicists are not mothers. Your post gets all my frantic rushing about into perspective – some things do trump all other things. In my experience of families and parenting, nothing ever stays the same. Things will change and develop and pass and go up and down on the roller coaster of family life. Doing what you have to do and want to do for your gorgeous little one at the moment is very important but it must be hard not to see the time for your other stuff slipping away. Make sure you ask for help when you need it! She’s a lucky little girl to have a such clever mother who will be able to make such a difference.
Thank you so much once again for such a wonderful interview. I have had so many people talk to me about it, wanting to read your book and identifying with a lot of the things you said. Thanks for taking the time to do it, especially in light of this post and all of the demands on your time. I know one thing, your daughter is in very good hands and couldn't have a better mum to work with her through her learning challenges and life's adventures.
Rachel: Evidently when I was a small child my parents thought that there was something wrong with at least my vision, because I often walked into things, such as telegraph poles.
If I had known that, I could have told them that I didn't notice the object because I was thinking deep and wonderful thoughts. Later, they were astonished when I was invited into gifted/talented classes.
Your precious little girl may not have a gift for academic learning, but she may well have deep and wonderful thoughts.
I missed this when you posted it Rachel. I completely relate to every project you turn your time to meaning that something else goes by the way side. What did we do with all the time we had before kids?
I can only imagine how much harder that balancing act is with having a child with extra special needs. as home girl said - good luck with the time stretching.
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