It’s an interesting time. We are all home and all having to work from home. It was different when the warriors were in the studio during the day, and you were at work. They did not get to spend much time with you and now they want to spend lots of time with you. Children want to be close to you. Dr. Montessori wrote in The Child in the Family, children love being with their parents because they love them so much. Adults love their children too, but with so much work to do, you feel torn. You cannot entertain them all the time.
You can help your warriors find a balance by making sure you have time for both. Set some time for lunch or snack to prepare food together. Have lots of conversation while your eating and when you’re tidying up. You might have this conversation:
“Mommy, I want you to play with me.”
“Oh, I want to, but I have to work right now. You can work while I work.”
“No! I don’t want to! I want you!”
This is where you acknowledge their feelings.
“I know you do! I love spending time with you too! And I’m happy for the time we get to be together while we do our work. I will be working on things for X amout of time, and then we can have a snack together. After snack, I will work some more before we make lunch together and have a picnic in the yard. I’ll leave a stick note on the clock to show you where the long hand will be when it’s snack time.”
If they interrupt you, repeat “I will come to talk with you when I finish my work”. Consistently consistent. An essential survival strategy is to be consistent in your messages. This is what we do in the studio and the warriors understand and follow. This will take a while to settle into – for you and for them. Right now the community is in your home. Each interaction you have with them, planned and unplanned, is a lesson. Children love us, unconditionally, even when we make mistakes. Now is the most important time in your life, and theirs.