Balancing Act: Mommy, I have to use the potty!

"Mommy, I have to use the potty". Words that sometimes make me suddenly tired. Like I said in my previous post, being a wife, a mother, a full time working mom and a small business owner can sometimes present big challenges.

I often sew at night after my husband has taken our youngest to get her to sleep. So that leaves me with our oldest who likes to stay up with me and chat. I do enjoy our evening chats but as you know, kids work on their own clock and often times, my daughter's internal organs chose that time in the evening to function at warp speed! In other words, it is not unheard of for her to have to use the potty 3 - 4 times in the 2 hours span I give myself in the evenings to complete and order.

The evening often goes like this:

Me: Do you have to use the potty now before I start to sew?

Daughter: No mommy. I don't.

...20-minutes into my sewing...

Daughter: Mommy, I guess you were right! I do need to use the potty!

Me: But you just said...

Daughter: Mommy, remember "don't wait to go!"

Me: Giving her the side eye...

And that cycle repeats itself 2 - 3 times...

My daughter is old enough to do #1 without assistance but she still needs some assistance cleaning up with #2. This means that I often have to stop what I am doing, go assist her, wash my hands very carefully and then go back to sewing.

On an ordinary non-sewing evening, she only goes ONCE! So I think there is something about my sewing that triggers her system. :-)

All jokes aside, while it can sometimes be frustrating, I appreciate the time we get to spend alone as mommy and daughter. I appreciate her beautiful "stories", I love to watch her imagination blossom and even though it often adds another 5 - 10 minutes to my sewing time, I appreciate the time she spends going because it also shows that she is growing and listening to her bodily needs.