SAHP Monotony = Madness
The monotony starts first thing in the morning. Emptying the dishwasher and prepping counter space for breakfast and lunch-making triggers irritation as my desire for something new and exciting is once again not satisfied. However, I do try to make the kids’ food with as much love and attention to detail as possible. The sandwich artist within gets to shine. That is, until the Witching Hour when my ‘food art’ comes back uneaten and/or mushed into the sides of lunchboxes … oh well.
This type of mind-numbing routine continues throughout the day. It includes endless dishwasher duty, laundry, toy clean-up, vacuuming, trash bag removal, counter wiping, and my personal favourite, toilet paper roll disposal. This is nothing new to SAHP’s; you guys know the drill. It’s boring, but these tasks are so very important for the maintenance and development of our spawn. This is what I tell myself on the good days. On the other days, I just pound carbs and coffee to get through it all.
In a strange way, this endless repetition creates a sort of trance state where our minds and bodies are disconnected as we observe ourselves completing the daily chores from a distance. The mind wanders to a more pleasurable locale as the body does what is necessary, yet oh-so unfulfilling.
Is this a survival mechanism with the unfortunate side effect of being disembodied? Feeling numb to get through the moment is of course dangerous in the long term. We know we should keep ourselves stimulated with other, more engaging activities but there is little extra time and we’re always so exhausted, right? It gets to the point where what you contribute becomes invisible to the rest of the family.
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