Fun Fams'

The past week has been less of a roller coaster and more of a log flume. A down hill tummy churning slide, gathering pace in to a slightly dull looking, colder than expected, end of the week.

I'm not going to lie - very little has happened (surprise surprise).
I feel like my enthusiasm for being an up beat, 'this ain't gonna beat us', positive mum has fallen by the way side.

In my continued quest to 'keep the kids entertained, yet educated', I decided to follow and like a couple of groups on Facebook promising fabulous tips and ideas of what to do during lock down.
And just like they say you should never google symptoms of your illness (because this inevitably results in sleepless nights), searching for ideas of fun things to do on social media, is another one to add to the 'don't do it' list.

Do you ever look at other families and think "why can't we be more like them?"
I do.
With their never ending trail of Instagram-ready fun photos and hilarious anecdotes. You know the ones - the picture perfect fun families. These people always make you feel like you're not fit enough, not fin enough and certainly not fun enough.

It appears the Coronavirus lock down period has inadvertently created a new strain of these photo ready, fit, fin and fun families.
Timetabled days of back to back home learning, (fun) activities and smiles. All mixed up with a hint of judgemental mummy.
It's exhausting.

If I have got myself and the kids up, washed, dressed and having had breakfast by 9.30am - on a (home) school day - I smell a scent of success. However these new "fun fams' on lock down" are always one step ahead.
They are ready learning, with pens poised, at 9am sharp. These mothers write of thrilling mornings full of number learning, hand writing practise, science experiments and spelling tests on 'common exception' words.
Following a light lunch, they suggest complementing the morning with an afternoon of arts and crafts and a blissful bike ride along cherry blossom lined streets, in the fresh air. All the time maintaining a wonderfully happy family balance.

There's no mention of the huffs, puffs and shrugs of not actually wanting to learn.
The whining arguments.
The stomping of feet and crocodile tears, because actually a 4 year old does not want to go for a walk in the fresh air every day.
And the damned difficulty of  trying to focus on two different children of two different ages and two very different abilities.

And I ask myself, who are these people?
Who are this new breed of "fun fams' on lock down"?

I'll let you in to a secret.

They don't exist.

For every family you look at on social media (probably through a filter I might add) and wish to be like, there is another looking in at your life wishing the same.

Oh yes, you may laugh and huff whilst reading that. But I believe it's true.

For some reason parenting turns us in to our own worst critics. Obsessed by the fact that apparently everyone else is a better parent.
Every Thursday we all go out and clap for all the amazing key workers out there who are keeping our country going.
But this Thursday I am going to make an extra effort to clap for the parents.
The stay at home parents, the parents who have been furloughed, the parents juggling work and home learning, and of course the parents who are also key workers.
Because, have you ever thought that maybe just doing whatever you can in these uncertain times, just to keep your family safe and loved, means you're actually a bloody good one.

Now repeat after me; "I am a good mum".

p.s. I thought I'd share with you our crappy crafty collages from our walk today....

Can you guess who these three are?