Wanker, or skilful multi-tasker?

I was born and bred in the country, where everybody knew whose daughter/sister/girlfriend I was. But I left this and relocated to the sunny Central Coast. I have always longed to live in the big smoke, and while it is certainly a far cry from Sydney, it's a bustling metropolis compared to 'the sticks'. This means there are service providers available to assist me in achieving my weekly objectives , but by using them, does this make me a wanker or simply a skilful multi-tasker? I ponder this question, as I sit here in a trendy cafe, having just dropped my car off to be detailed by an immigrant at a ridiculously low price.

As a parent it can be challenging to fulfil all of your roles and successfully tick everything off the ever expanding 'to do' list. Pretty early on, you have to make the decision that either everything will get done, or only a limited number of things will be done to a high standard. For me, I find it hard to say no to my kids, (even though I do quite often) but I feel that it is my job as their parent, to provide them with the opportunity to be anything they want to be. This does involve the fickle, short lived ventures into assorted sports and instruments, but at the end of the day, I don't want my kids to have been refused the right to discover and nurture a talent they may have. This has resulted in participation in tap dancing, soccer, tennis, hockey, swimming, guitar, piano, and lawn bowling. I have never pushed the kids into an activity, but I have emphasised the importance of working hard to develop a talent and try to show them the bigger picture implications for their daily music practice, and weekly participation in sports. Don't get me wrong though, I have talked them out of participating in activities such as nippers (...7am Sunday morning, no thanks!) and steered them away from learning 'noisy' instruments. While some parents sit and converse with other waiting parents, my lengthy to do list tells me there is no time for idle chit chat. I must make hay while the sun shines, and utilise my iPad for something constructive, mostly to justify its purchase. 


As in business, busy parents are always seeking efficiencies in their current practice. I delegate appropriate activities to the kids such as making lunches, and I am proud that they are able to "mum clean" their own bathroom, after extensive explicit tutorage. There are multiple to do lists and checklists around our home, constant reminders to do the tasks that keep our household ticking. 


I have also turned into a skilful multi-tasker: 
- At swimming squad, I perch myself at a small table and attempt to mark, plan, program, and on the rare occasion, blog, all the while monitoring my children's performance and observing praiseworthy dives. 
- On Saturday mornings, we rush off to tennis, often with my makeup bag in hand. We indulge in a sleep in, which means I have to make the choice to either have styled hair, have eaten breakfast, or have put my face on. Logistically, the makeup is far easier to do in the car than the others, so I shamefully dart from the house, to car, in nothing more than my oversized glasses and lip gloss. Yeah, I have clothing on, but I feel equally as naked! 
- I take dance class and I practice my technique in the shower, while I brush my teeth, and when I am in the car (when stopped at traffic lights, of course). 
- I attempt to exercise on my spin bike, using a spin instructor app, while catching up on my recorded episodes of the Bold and the Beautiful. This is often also accompanied by questions relating to homework and the whereabouts of odd socks and missing shoes. 


As I crawl into bed each night, I do ponder my many shortcomings as a mother, educator, partner, daughter, friend, sister, woman and human being. But I sleep tight in the fact that I cram as much as is humanly possibly as I can into each day, and that tomorrow will be no exception.




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