Intentional Mom of the Year Fail And Why It Wasn't A Fail

I always planned to be extraordinarily intentional with my kids.
And I still think that's a good thing.

I made pancakes this morning.
However, it did not turn out into a bonding experience like I always imagined before parenthood that it would be.

I didn't make shapes of animals or letters for Million.
I didn't put chocolate chips into them.
I also didn't take the time to show Million the reaction between the baking powder/baking soda and the water or the bubbles that formed as a result of a quick chemical reaction when heat was added.  No science lesson.

We didn't have a fractions lesson as I divided his pancake into pieces.
I didn't pretend that his pancake was an animal gallivanting around and just needing a stable (his mouth.)

I didn't give him a nutritional lesson as to why  I added squash to the pancakes or the nutritional value and side effects of each spice I added, although I know each of those things.


In short, he ate pancakes.
I ate pancakes.
We ate them together and then moved on with our morning.

I think that my personality has a high danger of feeling guilt after not doing intentional bonding or educational experiences with my son.  Or I think to myself, in my American way, that we might as well multitask and learn something while we're doing routine activities.

But what I also need to remember is that my son could very easily become overstimulated with so much learning, so much bonding, so much talking, so much listening.

And...hello.  There's supposed to be 5 inches of snow today.
So sledding is a huge stimulation experience that is on the docket if daddy comes home in time.
And probably even if daddy doesn't come home on time.
There is no separating my boy from the outdoors.

So all this to say, enjoy your day.  Don't overstimulate your kids too much, even for the sake of learning.