Like the professor who taught Human Development in my psychology program who said that the hardest thing about parenting was the time required, I find that I never have enough.
Mothering three daughters, seeing to my husband, or rather attending our marriage, along with my work as a psychotherapist, and writing novels proves daunting.
I count minutes in much the same way that I count calories.
Frustration continually arises as I reprimand myself for lack of efficiency.
“I’m working as hard as I can,” I say to myself.
But am I working smarter?
I do not know.
Personal experience has proven my professor correct.
I emphasize the words, “ … [my] personal experience … .”
I am certain there are people out there who have parenting down to a science and have perfected their methods such that the do not continually run short of, or crave more time to spend with their children, complete tasks at home and/or work or simply give to their own self-care, such as exercising or resting.
I learned to count minutes during this last year as I exercised on the elliptical.
At fifty-one-years-old, and needing to lose weight I shifted my efforts from running to working out on our elliptical.
I count both calories and minutes while riding the elliptical.
How about that?
LOL
At times I feel like a nervous wreck.
At others I wonder about the purpose of my life and living.
What am I doing here running around like a rat in a maze, but actually without one?
I am trying to do all the things a good mother would do along with that of a wife while at the same time live out my passion—writing.
I will never be a famous novelist that people around the globe recognize.
And quite honestly, I do not think I could handle that.
It would require too much time away from my three daughters.
Which brings me back to the subject I put forth at the outset of this post.
The time required to parent.
The professor who made the statement did not qualify his words with, “ … to parent well …,” or “… to be the best parent one could … .“
He stated that the greatest challenge of parenting is the time required.
I am thankful he for his honesty.
He too is a parent.
I am grateful to have heard his words long before our two elder daughters reached puberty and the years after I gave birth to our third child.
Now when I reach the end of the day and so much remains undone, other things not even approached, I think my teacher’s words and know that one other person faces the same challenge.