No fun please, We’re Parents
Our lives revolve around the enrichment, education and
entertainment of our children. It’s sad, but likely true – that sentence
probably sums up the mission of most parents, at least the more involved ones
among us, and I don’t mean to judge. (Having said that, those three Es are
brilliantly well thought out huh?)
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| Our lift is so slow that there is always time to take a few shots |
We recently had a friend come over to our place with her
children. And as our kids played together, screaming, thumping and turning our
place into a mini-futsal stadium, we sat at the table, drank wine and discussed
the current state of affairs with regards to religion, the education system and
life in general. None of us screamed, threw things at each other or even got a tiny
bit enthusiastic, except when someone spilled a bit of water on the seat in a
failed attempt at a science experiment.
My friend pinged me later to thank me and tell me that her
kids had fun with ours - and that she had fun too. I was shocked! The thought
didn’t even cross my mind that as adults, we could have fun, without having to
toss around a ball with someone standing in the middle being the monkey!
We get so caught up with the lives of our young ones that as
we while away the time waiting for their activities to complete, we hang in a limbo
state of semi-consciousness, not living, just watching the minutes, and
breathing just enough to stay alive. However, we too are at liberty to enjoy
what we do and have fun – weather it be walking around the mall, sitting
somewhere having coffee and checking emails or having a civilized conversation
with another adult at a low decibel frequency.
It is in the little bits of life’s journey that we find the
key to happiness and a meaning to living. As the cliché goes, it’s not the
destination, but the journey. So try to enjoy every moment of what life throws
your way. We were once children too, but somewhere along the way, life became a
bit of a chore.
If nothing else works, keep a ball made of masking tape in
your bag.