Mondays are usually tough in the kidlet world that I live in. My daycare kids are just coming off of a whirlwind weekend where they have been drug from pillar to post by well meaning parents just trying to fit it all in in two days. They are usually soooo tired on Mondays that we barely make it through the morning so we can pass out at naptime and catch up on some much needed rest.
 
Parents out there..don't mean to offend anyone, but after watching this phenomenon for 25 years, I have to put a word of advice out for you all. On the weekend...try to be STILL. Try to get everything done on Saturday and take Sunday as a day of rest, or vice versa. Kids don't need to be drug from store to store to restaurant to church and to restaurant and home again. Kids need down time..time to just mellow out with mom or dad or whomever is the primary caregiver. Cook some low task meal, not some 3 hour gourmet meal that takes your entire day in the kitchen. Order a pizza, or some other take out. Get on the floor and sit with your kids, play with your kids. Make Sunday their day. Remember this...and this is a fact: your child will not remember some gourmet meal, or a 2 hour sit down meal at a nice restaurant. They will remember the time you got on the floor to play puzzles, or read a book, or build with leggo, or the time you spent watching a worn out favorite movie. Kids don't need things, they are not impressed. They need TIME  with you! Time that is unrushed, time without distractions. Memories are made on time spent, not money spent. QUIT trying to impress the neighbors with your elaborate gifts to the kids, and your trips to big theme parks and throw ball with them, play with them, take a nature walk with them. Time is Free and it is the most impressive gift you can give anybody, especially a child.

A little excercise for you..Lets all go back in time to our early childhood. Come on, you can do it..Remember back to when you were very small. What was the most important thing your mom or dad did for you? or with you? What do you remember, when you remember fondly your childhood?  Me..I remember times when my mother played with my hair, while I sat with her watching t.v.  I don't  remember what was on t.v. either, just the fact that my mother was sitting with me and giving me attention. 

 Attention was rare at my house, there were 8 of us children and she was busy cooking, cleaning and taking care of us. She rarely sat down. But when she did, if you could get close to her and be still, she would touch your hair, your skin ever so softly.. and folks thats all a little kid needs. Time to reconnect and to be touched...ever so softly by you. 40 years later and I remember that vividly. What will your child remember about you in 40 years?