Being a parent is the toughest job I have ever had. The gruelling hours, the difficult people, the immense responsibility to get it right the first time are all factors that wreak havoc on my emotional stability. From the moment I wake up at the crack of dawn, I am engaged in some parental task, big or small. From packing a lunchbox to nursing a sick child to accompanying another to an umpteenth sporting activity. Life is a whirlwind of meals, homework and finally bedtime. So it is wonderful once in awhile to get that odd day off. Having these downtime days also helps you to visit the really important side of why you are a parent. Those small nonsensical times spent chatting about science projects to school crushes or taking a few minutes to exclaim with joy at your four year olds new ballet moves, these cherished happy moments are filled with love and joy that is immeasurable.

We get so focused on being the best parent in existence that we tend to forget our subjects of modification that is, our children. From enrolling them in the best schools to engaging in numerous sporting and creative classes, our main goal is for them to excel. We are all busy trying to produce “the gifted child” that we tend to forget the normal happy child. We forget that as we find our days busy and plentiful so do our children. From the moment they wake up they are being cajoled into the next task at hand. Playtime is curtailed for they have to get ready for the next lesson or the next activity. They are kept busy until bedtime. As a parent one does tend to groan when you get that odd midweek holiday. Children are at home and the need to keep them occupied is your mission for the day, but do not enter into panic stricken mode just yet. Consider these odd holidays an oasis in a desert of busy days, a blessing. Here are a few ways as to why the whole family SHOULD rest and its necessities:

1. My day is extremely busy, holiday or not. My list of to do things grows but never reduces. After so many years of parenting, my body and mind have been moulded in being constantly proactive and productive. If I slow down to linger over a cup of tea or enjoy the evening sunset, I’m in a state of perplexion, not entirely happy I feel that I am missing out on something, wasting my time away and later going to regret my indulgence on nothing. I forget that these moments are also special, to stop for a moment and linger in the moment is infact beneficial to oneself. Taking that moment to recuperate, to reenergize, to quieten the drama within you and come back fighting fit. Even parents need a day off!

2. Since I am busy I feel that my children should be busy as well. If I see them lounging around on the odd holiday my instant reaction is to ask them to go do something. Give them a task or ask them to begin some school work. I don’t give them a chance to sit and talk or play in the garden or enjoy themselves in something they like to do. As much as adults say we need to rest, so do children, which means mentally and well as physically.

3. When children are in a constant mode of being told what to do, they forget to think for themselves. Case and point is when I ask my children to go spend their free time in doing an activity that interests. Their first request is “can I watch T.V?”. They are unable to think on their own and keep themselves entertained. T.V is not necessarily a good source of entertainment. Children do not think they just process what is on the screen.

4. These moments of nothingness helps you to notice the small beauties of your family. The small stuff you don’t notice on a daily basis, the new curls in your baby’s hair, the fact that your four year old can count to twenty, your son’s new skateboarding abilities or your older daughter’s friendship issues. Though these might not be important nuances upfront, they are the muscle and bone of what makes up your family, and that is every bit important in the long run.

So today on the May Day holiday, my family and I rested. We forgot homework, activities, projects etc and instead took a moment to appreciate each other. We let our bodies rest and instead used that unspent energy to spend time engaging in family orientated activities. Be it a walk in the park, a cricket match, a quiet chat between two, these are important just as striving to be successful materialistically. Today we rested!

By Mayuri Jayasinghe