Serenity Lane

  Another set of school holidays are done and dusted.   Did you get a chance today to enjoy the serenity of some peace and quiet?   Amongst all the chaos of motherhood there seems to be one constant – noise.   Mostly the noise becomes just another part of the background ambient noise, at times though it can become overwhelming and overstimulating.   During the school holidays it can be difficult or near impossible to avoid – our children want to talk to/at us about their latest achievement, friend drama, game or just whatever is really important in their lives at that moment.   Multiple children can mean multiple conversations sometimes simultaneously!   Then there’s also the added layers of noise – kids arguing, crying, fighting, whining combined with the blaring of the long-forgotten TV, loud music and possibly games or videos being played on multiple devices at the same time.   Is it no wonder that mama’s get overwhelmed and overstimulated? ...

  Do lots of activities! All the time to try and tire them out so they sleep well at night. It’s good for children to be active; to explore their surroundings and learn what they’re capable of as well as how far they can push themselves and their boundaries. As parents this can be really hard because: · We would really love some ‘down time’ to decompress · We would really like to protect our children from being hurt, getting sick or whatever other consequences there may be for pushing boundaries. Children’s levels of ‘active’ are as usual always on a spectrum and there is always a wide range of what’s considered ‘normal’. For some children, one activity a week may be enough – whether it is music, drama, creative arts or sport. Other children thrive on trying every activity or opportunity that comes their way. Neither way is right, it comes down to a combination of family values, energy levels, financial and time commitments. When children are younger it is easier to keep them busy ...