My children and I were watching a Vegie Tales DVD yesterday and even though I have seen and heard them many times, there was something a few characters sang about that really got me reflecting on the busyness of life!
In the tale of ‘Flibber-o-loo’ which is a fun re-telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan, the first two characters who walk by their compatriot without offering to help are the Mayor and the Doctor of the town of Flibber-o-loo. They each sing about being too busy, dreadfully busy in fact, to help the poor cucumber who had been robbed.
What struck me about this ditty, which I can almost sing off by heart, is that I sometimes say similar things to my own children when they ask for help. I might be in the middle of a task and I’ll answer their appeal for help with a ‘Mummy’s a bit busy now, if you can just wait a minute I’ll finish this and then help you.’
There are instances where this is absolutely acceptable but there are other times where I might be saying this out of more selfish reasons. I might be working on a personal project, reading an email or paying a bill online and feel as though their request is little more than a distraction from the task I am trying to complete. Even writing this post this morning I have already left the computer unattended several times to help, or investigate, my children.
I could choose to find their interruptions annoying, just as I could answer and tell them that I’m busy and that I can come in a minute but generally speaking if it’s important to them they’ll continue to badger me until I give up in frustration and help them, or by the time I finish my task they’ll have moved on to something else.
I can choose to help them, or I can choose to become bogged down by the constant busyness of modern life. I’ll admit, stopping mid task is difficult to me. I’m a conscientious, task driven person and I often measure my personal achievement for the week by the number of items I’ve been able to tick off my to-do list. After six and a half years of being a mum I am still learning things every day and sometimes what I learn about myself as a parent is confronting.
So I have made a resolution to stop acting like the Mayor and the Doctor from Flibber-o-loo and claiming to be too busy to come running when my children need, and want, me too. And I encourage you to do the same, if you are not already. I don’t know about your children, but mine seem to be growing up really quickly and I can’t help but think that if I don’t respond to their calls for help now, who will they turn to as teenagers and adults for support? And what sort of help are they going to receive?
Originally posted 2015-01-28 22:38:38.