Disruptions in routines are hard on kids. The older my kids get, the more they are able to handle disruptions, but a full week of visitors in the house followed by a weekend road trip with cousins has definitely had an effect. Combine all of that with the fact that we can nearly count the number of school days left on our fingers, and re-establishing routine has been difficult.
As my youngest, Gleek and Patch are the most affected. Gleek spent the entire last week in a sort of high-energy bliss. There was always someone to play with or talk to. She moved from activity to activity, never taking time to slow down or process her experiences. This has resulted in some extreme crankiness in the past two days. She has taken to shrieking loudly at the slightest provocation. Today I finally had the space to address the issue. Now when she shrieks she has to spend a minute or two in time out and then she has to apologize to everyone whose ears she may have hurt. Already I can see her reining herself in and trying to not shriek.
The effects on Patch are not so easily discerned. But I can see he relaxing into the quiet and solitude of the house. It is funny how I never notice him being tense when people are over, but I can suddenly see him being relaxed and happy in the quiet after they have gone. He has also needed extra talking at bedtime. I can always tell when he needs extra attention because he claims that he wants to sleep with someone because he is scared. If I ask him what he is scared about, he’ll look around the room and try to think up scary things to tell me. What he really wants is someone to talk to him or read stories to him for awhile. Funny how often kids (and adults too) believe they need one thing when what they really need is something else instead.
Today I spent the whole afternoon and evening at home. There were no lessons to run to, no cub scouts to attend, no events to manage. I just got to be at home sitting in my kitchen talking with a friend. It was lovely. The kids ran through lots and there were frequent bouts of joyful chaos as clusters of children needed snacks, or band aids, or a listening ear. It occurred to me as I sat listening to Gleek regale me with a story about her day, that I’m very rarely so readily available to the kids as I was today. I’m at home, but most of the time I’m working or busy. I need to make sure that I’m keeping space open just to be here for the kids.