One of my favorite things I heard this year on NPR was about the power of email. My behavior analyst friend could describe it better, but remember your high school or college psychology class and the discussion about the power of intermittent reinforcement? Email is just that very thing ... the 7th, or 83rd, or 1,217th time you check your email you get that really great email from an old friend, while the rest of it is mostly crap. You keep coming back, though, hoping for that really great one again. (Same thing with blogs, I suppose, which explains why I choose to rot my brain with the internets rather than on Real Housewives of Big Cities).
So, it seems that someone else had the same idea about parenting. Exactly! I was with a group of high school girlfriends the other night and 2/3rds of us were lamenting the challenges of parenthood. One of the child-less among us was appalled and asked why we did such a thing? While it is a fair question I ask myself from time to time, I explained that when you laugh harder with your child than you have in weeks, even in the midst of a day full of battles, it just keeps you coming back for more.
See what you think ...
Slate's article: Parents Are Junkies (If parenthood sucks, why do we love it? Because we are addicted).
5 comments:
Loving the new layout & banner!
I'm a junkie, as well-even with all of the puke I washed out of clothing and sheets this weekend-because at bedtime he says "Cuddle one more minute, Mom. No, two more minutes..."
Warning...stepping onto soapbox..
um, can't get over the comments to that article?!? wow - perhaps we are junkies because we realize that the greatest legacy we can leave on this earth is a/some socially responsible, giving, well adjusted and productive member(s) of society. And raising them requires incredible sacrifice, but fills our souls with a richness that is second to none. And perhaps what makes us junkies is what also makes us good at what we do - we are able to step back, savor those moments...let them feed our souls, so that we may perservere through the valleys of parenthood.
Just before reading this article I received word that a 1 1/2yr old died tonight in her parent's arms. Incensed is an understatement to how I felt when reading the criticism of those who choose to be parents. Maybe it was not the best time to read this article ...I wouldn't ever be able to read it from a neutral perspective, but I was REALLY biased tonight.
FYI, I cried as I sang O Holy Night to Evan tonight - he said "mama...you have a dwip on youy wip" ... yes Evan, those are tears of sorrow for the Webers and tears of joy for me... I'm so lucky to know your love.
Exit soapbox.
I like your soapbox.
Glad you like it...I was up pretty high on it last night! Thanks for the yummy food! Can't wait to eat it!!
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