Mommy's Swiss Army Knife
You give me a problem, I’ll spring into action. I like to think of myself as the office Swiss Army knife. At home if there’s a crisis and I’ll jump right in to fix it, just call me SUPERMOM. But sometimes, that’s not always the best option. Having a 3-year-old who is, for sure, deep into the Threenager stage, my first inclination is to spring into action.
“Mommy, my cookie broke.”
- I’ll fix it!
“Oh no Mommy, Maui is LOST! I no see him!”
-I’ll find him!
“I no know how to put my shoes on the right feet! “
-I gotcha babe.
I’ve been thinking more about how I need to foster his independence and confidence more by allowing him to try to spring into action himself. I’m trying to add, “What can we do to fix this?” when he needs help.
Recently, I’ve noticed that I operate the same way at work. I’m a swiss army knife and can fix anything you throw at me.
Because, let’s be real, the office is just a bunch of grown up 3-year old’s anyway… You know what I mean; grown people pitching fits about broken things or feelings they don’t understand.
I get it Stephanie, the dude over in accounting is weird, and you don’t like the way his breakfast smells every, single morning. Sometimes, it’s like I’m just mommy-ing people all day and then I get home and mommy my actual children. Anyone else I need to mommy today? I feel like there are days where I just bounce from one problem and solution to the next problem and solution.
What do I fix and what do I not fix? Where’s that line? It’s really hard to separate in the moment.
Being a Swiss Army knife comes with its own problems. And that’s being able to fix anything. Pulling out every proverbial screwdriver, nail file, corkscrew, and flashlight at work and then again at home can be overwhelming. Not only because I’m extending myself like that plastic slinky dog from toy story, waiting to snap under the pressure, but also because people then begin to depend on you to always fix the problem.
The more I think about it, I realize that it isn’t my place to fix everything. Sometimes, that problem at work isn’t my problem to fix. And it’s hard to discern where that responsibility falls. But that’s a part of growing as a mom and growing in my career. I am slowly learning that I don’t have to fix it; and I don’t have to have an answer for everything.
You know those weeks where you get home and it’s just emotionally exhausting to think about work? Yeah, those ones where the dream of sleeping in on the weekend gets you through it, even though you know that’s not going to happen for the next 7 years. Those are the weeks I need a distraction from the demands of the big world out there and the little world inside my house. On those weekends, I take my kids to wear themselves out at a local Trampoline Park. You heard me right...trampolines and toddlers. There’s nothing better than throwing your kid into a foam pit, bouncing around to house music, or watching the littlest one chase laser lights like little kitten.
One of my favorite memories of my son happened at our trampoline park.
I took him during one of those “Oh so gloomy it hasn’t stopped raining in 8 weeks” Saturdays in a desperate attempt to cure his rabid cabin fever. Now, this kid started walking at 9 months old. 9 MONTHS OLD Y’ALL. Clearly, I’ve been tired for a while. We purchased our sticky sole socks and made a beeline for the massive foam pit.
As I’m chatting with a mommy friend about my utter devotion to the Cat and Jack line at Target, my son slowly and deliberately walked closer to me. I was completely unaware of what he had planned. As I stood there, at the edge of the foam pit deep in mommy conversation, I feel his tiny hands on my legs. The next thing I knew, I was swimming in the foam blocks.
It was completely unexpected, and I laughed so hard.
I couldn’t even be mad at him for pushing me in. I couldn’t be mad for sacrificing my iPhone to the foam pit gods. I did, however, learn that I will never trust that kid at a pool party.
Maybe we need to add laughter to our tools in our Swiss Army knife? I really think the simplicity of bouncing around for a few hours really clears your mind. Life can be so dang stressful for everyone, even little ones. And maybe we all need a few hours to not have to spring into action to fix everything and maybe just maybe have a little fun bouncing around.
You don’t have to fix everything. But you do need to have a little fun and laugh every once and awhile.
