By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
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Earlier this summer my kids and I flew out to visit my parents. They kept a bunch of toys and books from when I was a kid for my little ones to enjoy. I am very lucky that they also gave me a big pile of books to take back with us to California. One of the books that I remember my mom reading over and over again to me as a kid is called
Five Minutes Peace.
If you haven't read it,
Five Minutes Peace is about a mother elephant who wants five minutes peace away from her little ones; however, she struggles to get it. Her kids just keep intruding. One thing I remember about this book is not catching its not-so-subtle message that parents need breaks too. I just remember finding the kids' interruptions funny.
As a mother, I'm enjoying reading this book to my own kids. Not to teach them that I need a break but because the mother's struggles ring true. Yes, as a parent it sometimes is quite challenging to find five minutes for yourself. And sometimes the best thing to do is to find the humor in the chaos (and then schedule a real break for yourself).
What were your favorite books to read both as a kid and also as a parent?
