Constant Attention
If you asked me to name the one thing I find most exhausting about being a parent, I would say that no matter what else I am doing I have one eye and at least half my brain on Gigi.
If I’m cooking, I am also listening to make sure I hear normal noises. A silent moment sends me into the next room to see if she is OK. If she is in the tub, I make sure whatever I am doing is either across the hall from the open bathroom door or within good hearing distance. If we are in public, it is even more taxing, as I am always completely aware of where she is and how far from me she is physically.
It’s exhausting, but it is worth it.
Tonight, right here in town, a 14-month-old boy has died after wandering onto the lanai of his home through a sliding glass door that had been left open. He fell into the family pool, which had no barrier or pool alarm.
Inside the home were several member of his family. It is estimated he was in the pool three to five minutes before he was found and pulled out.
Do some dishes or run the vacuum and see how fast three minutes will go. How about while you on the phone with someone or focusing on getting a bill paid? Time flies and all of the sudden something tragic can happen if you have a child in your home.
That is why I go to bed each night fatigued and ready to let my mind have a break from the constant multi-tasking. Keeping an eye on my daughter is something I will never stop doing at the level I do it now – no matter how much it wears me out and divides my focus.
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