Balancing the Two-Year-Old Influence

Balance. Too much of a good thing is not altogether a good thing. Too much work. Too much play. Too much of any one thing is not a good equation for inner contentment.

I'm lovin' my new/old life. It is a wonderful, wonderful thing to work in an environment where I feel like I'm making a difference and getting the feedback I need to keep waking up and doing the same thing all over again. I am so content in my world that I could purr.

Life is a delicate balance of many things. For example ... spend all of your waking hours with one and two year olds and cocoon yourself into a quiet after-hours-world ... and you begin to reason at the age level of those you spend most of your time with!

Don't get me wrong. These little people bring a wonder and joy to my days that I had forgotten existed. I love a world where you marvel at finding a lady bug or spotting a plane in the sky. But ... they do not challenge my conversational skills.

When my two-year-old is having a tantrum, he doesn't appreciate a long drawn out discussion about the many reasons why his behaviour is not acceptable. I must grab his attention and make my point short and to the point. It is not rocket science. It is repetitive. Rinse and repeat. All day. Until the lesson is learned. Then we wake up and do it all over again ...

So you can imagine my delight when a friend suggested that we get together and go out for supper some time this week. I could have leapt for joy (I think that I did).

Last night ... I left the house. I enjoyed the company of another adult human being. I caught up with a friend that I haven't seen in ages. It was marvelous.

I returned home and felt like a new person. I slept through the night. My daycare family walked in the door this morning and I think that we all felt the difference. Right from the moment 'go'.

I couldn't and wouldn't want to do this every day. Too much of a good thing is not the answer. Balance is. Adult conversation goes a long way. You have something to mull over on the drive home, the next day and a lingering feeling of renewal long after the visit has ended.

I enjoy my solitude. Too much of that is not good either. I cocooned myself into a place that I needed to be. For a while. I need to know that I have that quiet time within each day. But it must have a beginning and an end to be appreciated to the fullest.

Last night renewed my coping abilities. I am grateful. Because right now? I must go and teach my two year old the importance of not grabbing the toys that the one year olds have in their hands ...