Picture this,
it is a Sunday morning. I am sitting on the stairs with my
laptop, my copy of the New York Times, a book, and a mug of tea. The stairs have become my makeshift office
for the moment.
We live in a townhome that has three levels. I have a real office upstairs. So you may
wonder why I am on the stairs and secondarily you may wonder why I have so much
stuff there with me!
The first floor of our townhome has one large great
room. That’s a bit challenging when
you’re trying to create boundaries for a toddler. We accomplished this task by buying a HUGE
gate that creates a “wall” on that floor where there was none. I affectionately
call the area behind the gate “baby jail”.
As you can see from the photo accompanying this post, it’s sometimes
“daddy jail” too!
On the stairs, I can be with them and write at the same time
without my loving daughter trying to peck the keys on my laptop. She’s fascinated by it and my “no’s” fall on
deaf ears. Some might call that disobedient. However, I don’t know if that term
can be used for anyone under 2. Also, I think that there are limits to the
capacity of a 17 month old to resist something that has lights and makes
noise. It seems like Fisher-Price agrees
with me given the number of toys that do the same thing.
Also, my pediatrician told me that one of her patients was
badly burned by hot tea. My daughter also is instantly enamored of anything
that I am eating or drinking. Being on the stairs allows me the freedom to
enjoy my tea without keeping track of where she is every moment because she is
safe with her father in “baby jail”.
Actually, based on the set up of our home, nobody can see me
on the stairs either. So, there is no “I
want mommy” whining, which often ensues around naptime, which is quickly
approaching. So, these stairs have
become my little hideaway, my retreat, my haven. I have found something that often eludes me,
“mommy time”!
How do you find time
for yourself?
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