“Ahh, the life of a frum woman. The needs of everyone around us are pressing and relentless”
Go to the park with your kids. Betcha the parenting expert is going to tell you that the most important thing you can do with your child is… spend time with him.
I’m in the unenviable position of having to choose between the needs of two children, and I am really torn. My oldest daughter confided in me that she is going through a serious depression and is having trouble coping. She is unable to manage even the most basic housekeeping and her kids are beginning to really feel it. She asked if I would be willing to come for a couple weeks to help out and to restore the family equilibrium. She has not shared her challenge with any of her siblings and has asked me to keep it confidential.
In the meantime, my second daughter is due any day now. She was planning to move into my home for about two weeks after being discharged from the hospital. I think she’ll be fine without me. Her husband is extremely supportive (read: not afraid to throw in a load of laundry and/or hold the baby) and she has a strong network of friends. So it’s less about needing my actual help and more about feeling I’m there for her. I wish I could clone myself; they each legitimately need me. I feel like the stakes are high in both scenarios and I need to get this right. I don’t know how I’m supposed to make this decision. Help!
Ahh, the life of a frum woman. The needs of everyone around us are pressing and relentless. Most of the time, we do a great job of keeping most of the balls in the air. But sometimes all that juggling isn’t enough. Sometimes we feel like something is going to fall and all we can do is daven that it doesn’t shatter when it does.
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