Hurrah for mundane, boring Mondays! Maybe you agree with the Boomtown Rats when they sang “I don’t like Mondays”. They don’t seem to be everyones cup of tea (Mondays…not the band).
I don’t know about you, but Monday usually ends up being our ‘reset’ day. After a busy week, we like to make sure we get as much rest as possible on Saturday, leaving Sunday free for church, friends and family, and homework. This means that Monday is often the day when we tend to get the whole operation up and running again!
Today was one of those days where I was in and out of the house doing quite mundane jobs like supermarket shopping, going to the bank and post office. In between trips out, I was doing the laundry – changing all the bedding. Not the most exciting day. Charlie has been working away during the week for the last year and a half, but this week though he is working locally. I am very much enjoying him being around for the school run, and helping get the kids ready at both ends of the day. It also helps with getting the house back in order! We are so used to living with the unusual and the unexpected with Alice that days like this can take us by surprise. But she started the day well, got ready for school without any fuss, had a good day at school and we had a lovely evening together. In fact, all the drama that took place throughout the day had nothing to do with Alice! Charlie managed to blow a tyre whilst out on an errand, managed to change it (“man points achieved” apparently) and then take it in to get a new one.
This may sound a little crazy, but we have learnt to treasure such days, and we normally allow ourselves a sneaky chocolate bar or three later on with a movie when the kids have gone to bed. We think Chocolate is natures way of making up for Monday. Too often we allow such mundane days to slip away, and take for granted so many amazing things that are going on around us. As we munch on our Chocolate and watch our film, we talk, wondering how many ‘mundane’ days that Alice had before she came to us – the picture is fuzzy and there is much we don’t know about what she experienced in her early years.
One of the things we’ve been told more than anything else in all our Foster Carer training and support, from social workers, healthcare professionals and teachers, is that boring is good for children in care. Giving children a consistent and stable childhood experience, where they are positively affirmed and encouraged every day, may sound like parenting 101 to you, but for a child in care, can be their lifeline!
So here is to many, many more mundane Monday mornings (and chocolate!).
Family Less Ordinary – Blog
