A month before the madness of COVID-19 descended upon us, I watched Marielle Heller’s brilliant film, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” starring Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, the beloved children’s’ television host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The film unearths the long-forgotten virtues of patience, listening, kindness, and the embrace of one’s feelings. I found the film transformational. Yes, even then, when many of us, myself included, enjoyed a relative confidence in the world’s security. Now, it seems, COVID-19 has ripped our world apart in ways that we had once refused to entirely admit were possible. From then till now, I have spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on Fred Rogers’ life and his teachings. In view of the current turmoil confronting us all, I think it’s time to lean more fully into Mister Rogers’ message.
parenthood
Finally, a New Update!
I know it has been ages since I have written a blog post. I am sorry for the delay. Caring for my young children, watching over my own annoying health-related issues, and dealing with my husband’s quite grueling work and travel schedule has taken its toll.
This is Life…
If someone were to ask me: “How are you? What are you up to these days?” I would probably scream back at them, in a quite frenzied state, “Life! I have been doing life!” Right now, things are stressful…very stressful. I’ll explain the reasons for all that stress in a second. But, before everyone gets all worked up, let me clarify that I am fine. Altogether, things are fine and I am on top of everything. There is no need to worry about me venting. Life is hard. It is hard for everyone. Writing is just one way that I deal with the struggle that is life. Writing allows me to wrap my mind around my thoughts and it helps me to process my feelings.
As I have written about before, I am a stay-at-home parent, which means I am a full-time caregiver to our two, young children. They are now 3 and a little over 1.5 years old. I love them to bits, but (shit) they are a lot to deal with singlehandedly. I have no clue how the stereotype of the bored stay-at-home parent developed (possible future blog post!), because I can tell you that myth is a complete and utter lie. Damn, I wish I were bored. If my problem were boredom, things would be a lot different.
Dr. Mom: Why I Decided To Stay At Home With My Kids
In my heart, I define myself as a historian. But, truth be told, I spend the majority of my days taking care of my two young children. My son is one and my daughter is two. I am a stay-at-home parent and my children’s primary caregiver. As I detailed in a piece for New America Weekly, I dread it when people ask me what I do for a living. Why? Because although I have a PhD in history, my days primarily consist of changing a gross number of diapers, arguing with my toddlers, preparing meals that are ultimately rejected, and picking up an endless amount of clutter. It is hard to accept that most of the time I am only “mama.”