letting go of laundry folding has been a game changer. I keep a pile. When everyone runs out of clothes we tip the pile on the floor and everyone takes a basket and their own clothes, then they put them away. that is the routine.
I’m inspired by how independent her kids are in the morning! I’ve been trying to help my kids get there. My youngest gets his own breakfast at and gets dressed, but my oldest is not a morning person! One question I have is does she have scholarship and service requirements? Balancing scholarship with teaching and service is one of the things I’m constantly working on and I enjoy hearing about how others approach it.
Hi Marie! I'm the gal in this series. I do have scholarship and service requirements, but I have an AWESOME boss/fellow faculty who have been great at easing me in and pulling me along. My scholarship is mostly covered by me pursuing my EdD, but I'm also working as a collaborator on my colleagues' research so I can follow along in the process with low pressure of innovation. My service is also not huge at this point. I'm on 1 committee and coach youth sports in the community (because I teach sport and exercise science, it counts for me, which is fun!)
For me it meant dealing with a lot of messes and doing things wrong. All but my youngest can make peanut butter sandwiches, toast, oatmeal, and lots of other things, but there was peanut butter everywhere and jelly and bread left open etc. but I didn't hover and helped them build the confidence to be able to do it on their own and got to the cleaning up part later. They can all fill their own waters, but sometimes they spill. They know how to run laundry, but sometimes they use too much soap or only wash one thing. Giving them the space to fail in a safe way has allowed them to learn responsibility. They still get it wrong, and we still remind them, but its good enough and that's enough for me. But that's just what worked for me, mileage may vary.
Yup, my oldest was making eggs the other day and left the fridge wide open! I think he has (hopefully) now learned to shut the fridge. I spend a lot of time having my kids help with tasks and resisting the urge to then correct them.
Thank you both! Very helpful! I let my kids “clean” the bathroom this morning because they wanted to and yeah, it was a big mess. But they are 4 and 20 months (my 4 year old was fine, the little guy not so good yet)
Love the self awareness and attitude of winning where you can, releasing where you can’t when it comes to working/parenting with mental health challenges. I’m also on that journey and these types of shares are so helpful!
The socks!! Holy cow, what a simple but game-changing idea to share/have different colors for each person. Brilliant ✨️
I am so inspired by her self-awareness!
Agreed - and non-judgmental and creative in how she still gets where she wants to go. Very inspiring.
letting go of laundry folding has been a game changer. I keep a pile. When everyone runs out of clothes we tip the pile on the floor and everyone takes a basket and their own clothes, then they put them away. that is the routine.
Loved reading this as a (new) mom of 4 kids.
I’m inspired by how independent her kids are in the morning! I’ve been trying to help my kids get there. My youngest gets his own breakfast at and gets dressed, but my oldest is not a morning person! One question I have is does she have scholarship and service requirements? Balancing scholarship with teaching and service is one of the things I’m constantly working on and I enjoy hearing about how others approach it.
That’s wonderful to have supportive colleagues. Easing in is definitely the way to go! Thanks so much for sharing and for your response.
Hi Marie! I'm the gal in this series. I do have scholarship and service requirements, but I have an AWESOME boss/fellow faculty who have been great at easing me in and pulling me along. My scholarship is mostly covered by me pursuing my EdD, but I'm also working as a collaborator on my colleagues' research so I can follow along in the process with low pressure of innovation. My service is also not huge at this point. I'm on 1 committee and coach youth sports in the community (because I teach sport and exercise science, it counts for me, which is fun!)
Hey not to steal this conversation but can oh talk about how you built self sufficiency in your kids? Mine are smaller and I am curious!
For me it meant dealing with a lot of messes and doing things wrong. All but my youngest can make peanut butter sandwiches, toast, oatmeal, and lots of other things, but there was peanut butter everywhere and jelly and bread left open etc. but I didn't hover and helped them build the confidence to be able to do it on their own and got to the cleaning up part later. They can all fill their own waters, but sometimes they spill. They know how to run laundry, but sometimes they use too much soap or only wash one thing. Giving them the space to fail in a safe way has allowed them to learn responsibility. They still get it wrong, and we still remind them, but its good enough and that's enough for me. But that's just what worked for me, mileage may vary.
Yup, my oldest was making eggs the other day and left the fridge wide open! I think he has (hopefully) now learned to shut the fridge. I spend a lot of time having my kids help with tasks and resisting the urge to then correct them.
Thank you both! Very helpful! I let my kids “clean” the bathroom this morning because they wanted to and yeah, it was a big mess. But they are 4 and 20 months (my 4 year old was fine, the little guy not so good yet)
Love the self awareness and attitude of winning where you can, releasing where you can’t when it comes to working/parenting with mental health challenges. I’m also on that journey and these types of shares are so helpful!
Agreed! Love your comment. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing about remembering to take mental health meds! I’ve read a lot of these and don’t remember anyone being open about that 🙂
Agree. I love that she shared that. Thanks for the kind shoutout for her.
As a fellow professor, "spent on my big thinking for the day" is so relatable. I am going to borrow that.