I’m a fast and voracious reader but I don’t always remember what I read. This book is all the more remarkable because I remember the last line on the chapter regarding Parenting: “Just remember, it’s only temporary.” It’s also the book I turned to the last Friday before a new school term began because I wanted to see how other parents cope.
This turned out to be an exercise in gratitude because some parents featured have children who wake them up anytime from 5.30 to 7am. Plus, they have to play with their kids. Gasp 😱 Mine wakes up at 7.30ish - a later time would be preferable but given that he has to wake up at 8am on schooldays, I guess I can’t play double standards - and is mostly contented with watching the adventures of Vlad and Niki on YouTube for the nth time. Which explains why I can type this in relative peace lol.
(Okay, he’s now pestering me to play with his wide array of vehicles.)

All the parents seem to be exemplary ones who put aside their phones in the morning. Here, I wish Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander could have probed deeper and dug out the skeletons in the closet. Surely, playtime can’t be all that smooth-sailing always. As it is, my boy oscillates wildly between playing with his toys and watching YouTube. This means that I’m often left hanging in limbo. Well I’m certainly not gonna push cars up a ramp by myself, so what do I do? It’s online time…until the boy demands my attention again and asks me to play with him. I swear, this cycle of tortuous fun never ends.
Of course, I sometimes do the adult thing, pause the TV and point out the obvious - that multitasking is no good. You would think that he would appreciate my solid logic, but nooooooooo, he says, “パパ、静かに！(Papa, be quiet!)”. What do other parents do with their indecisive children? How do they maintain clarity and not have their energy be sapped? How do they maintain their sanity when their children argue with each other? Already, my girl is crawling towards my boy’s toys, much to his dismay because he feels territorial over his cars. I don’t believe that these parents’ households are an oasis of calm and would have liked to peek into their chaos. Misery loves company! 🤪