Finding The Happy Medium

I joke a lot that my son has two speeds: full throttle and off. If he isn't running around acting ridiculous, he's probably asleep. Most days it's difficult to just sit and watch a movie with my kids because I can't get them to sit still long enough.

I love to go outside with the kids on nice days. We'll play for as long as I can take it before we come in and get bathed and most of the time fall asleep. Sometimes even I take a nap after that. The problem is, when I spend all that time playing around outside, I don't get anything done inside. Other days, I spend all day doing things that need to be done, and I don't get a chance to play with the kids or do something I want to do.

So where is the happy medium? How do I find a place where a four-year-olds energy can be used little at a time? How do I get to a place where things are still kept up around the house, but I don't miss time with my children? Is there such a thing as this elusive happy medium, or is everyday just another struggle to get as close as we can to it as though we were chasing a rainbow?

I suppose, all we can do is our best. Each day we have to try to make our own happy medium. Where the important tasks are accomplished, but we're not missing quality time with the kids. We can allow ourselves to get caught up in it, one way or another, or we can choose to say, "We'll go play for an hour, then I'll do what I have to do." Sometimes, things aren't going to get done, or we aren't going to get as much time with the kids as we wanted. But all we can do is our best to make sure it doesn't go too far one way or another.

"The choicest pleasures of life lie within the ring of moderation." ~ Benjamin Disraeli