[Getting Ready to Go Out] 1 hour to get ready -> 10 minutes of play? What is this? 😂
Hello ☀️
I'm a Kansai mom raising a 5-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son.
On top of that, I'm 9 months pregnant 🤰✨
Even though the third one is coming soon,
I'm waging an "outing war" every single day.
📍 The battle that starts with "We're going out!"
I say things with such a light tone like, "Alright, the weather's nice today, let's go to the park!" but from here on out is...
the beginning of hell😂
First, my daughter.
👧 "Ugh, I don't want this outfit! I want a cute one!"
There it is, the girls' clothing dilemma. It's never going to be decided quickly.
Next, my son.
👦 "Mom, what about those pants? The blue ones!"
He's talking about the ones in the laundry basket. They aren't dry yet! 😇
And I'm rushing around holding my belly, tying hair, preparing water bottles...
"Where are the socks?" "Did you go to the bathroom?" "Oh, I have to bring diapers too!"
My brain is running at full capacity 💦
Before I know it, an hour has passed before we can leave ⏰
(Honestly, my HP is almost at zero before we even reach the park.)
📍 Finally arrived! ...but
"Phew, we finally made it!" I say as I sit on a bench.
With a 9-month pregnant body, just getting here feels like I've run a marathon 💨
Then the kids start running around full of energy.
You'd think, "Alright, they'll play for an hour now!" right?
...5 minutes later.
👦 "Mom, I want to go home now."
👧 "I'm thirsty! Can we go buy some snacks?"
......Huh? It hasn't even been 10 minutes yet!? 😇
Who was it that was rushing me saying "Let's go to the park quickly!" just a moment ago!?
And even though I brought water bottles and snacks, for some reason they start saying "I want something else."
In the end, they play a little on the equipment, touch the sandbox a little, and then it's "Let's go home!"
What did I spend an hour getting ready for? 😂
📍 But I'm saved on the way home
Just as I'm thinking "Ugh! What is this!" in my head, a sudden moment happens on the way home.
👧 "Mom, today was fun ☺️"
👦 "It was hot! Let's go again!"
...Yes, that makes it all worth it. Lol
I want to retort, "You didn't even play at all!" but for the kids, the act of going out together is probably a fun memory.
📍 What I learned
I finally realized it recently.
The purpose of going out isn't to "let them play for a long time" but "to spend time together" after all.
So, there's no need to force yourself to go to a big park, and even just taking a walk around the neighborhood can become
something special.
Of course, the "1 hour to get ready, 10 minutes to play" routine is still alive and well, but 🤣
I've come to realize that this will probably be a funny story we'll look back on and laugh about once the kids are older.
💌 In closing
I'm 9 months pregnant with a huge belly and my body is exhausted, but these days I feel happy that I can spend every day laughing with my kids and saying, "What's with that!" 🌸
If you're a mom who thought, "It takes me an hour to get out the door too!" or "I totally get it! They get bored so fast!", I'd be happy if you could press the ♡ button ☺️
✍️ I want this to reach people like: 💌
・ Moms who are exhausted every time they have to "get ready to go out"
・ Moms who are worn out from their kids immediately saying "I want to go home!"
・ Moms who are taking their older children out even while pregnant
If you can relate, giving this a like would really cheer me up! 😂♡