There is a Difference

I was just listening to a good program where the guest talked about slowing down and not trying to do everything for everyone, or in other words there is no such thing as a perfect life and we simply can't have it all.  I agree with what she was saying, but I have to add that there is a difference between slowing down and not doing anything at all.

I am grateful for the times I ended a homework session with my kids to take them to the park or to play in the sprinklers, stopped them from working so we could pop popcorn and watch a movie, postponed their chores so we could video a magic show, or just spent an afternoon reading books and baking and painting cookies. 

I will admit that it would have been easier to just let everything go to be with them but I also know how important it is to know how to work and to teach them how to work.  I see students that have not been encouraged to finish anything they start and then they want me to take responsibility for their assignments and deadlines.  There is a balance between work and play, and I see by the lives of my children that they too recognize there is a time for both in a happy life.