The concept of the time out in baby books is common. Whether you are a fan of this parenting technique or not is irrelevant to this post. I want a time out chair not for my son, but for myself. Time is a rare commodity for the working parent. If you add up all the things we want to accomplish in the day we quickly feel the pressure of the finite construct of time. Let’s assume for argument’s sake that you work for 8 hours and sleep for 8 hours in the typical work day. That leaves 8 hours for grooming, commuting, cooking, parenting, washing, drying, errands, exercising, and finding quality time for friends and family. The working mom’s I know understand this pressure all too well. Multitasking has earned a bad rap recently, but it is a way of life for many. Personally, I try not to multitask, but manytask. Manytasking, is the game I play with myself to see how many tasks I can accomplish in a short period of time. Think of interval training applied to a to-do list! Manytasking is how I exert control over my precious 8 hours. I do tend to get a great deal done in a day, and find I have “saved time” to spend on extra stories and cuddles for my son at the end of the day. However, the concept of a time out chair appeals to me, not as a punishment, but a short mental vacation. My many tasks approach sometimes leaves me frazzled and the idea of having a chair to sit in for 5 minutes not allowed to do anything or talk to anyone is rather appealing! I would consider it a mini-mental health vacation. Maybe I should assign a time out chair for Mommy and send myself to it for at least 5 minutes a day? How do other Working Mom’s recharge? I encourage your comments.
