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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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Getting yanked out of a rut by my preschooler
Uploaded: Aug 4, 2015
Like many Bay Area families, we've been to the San Francisco Zoo numerous times. I usually give my son the map and he leads us down the same general loop. Our trips all end up pretty similar.
During our last visit, I wasn't especially excited about going to the zoo. I felt like this outing was going to be just like the previous one. And the one before that. And the one before that.
Luckily, about a third of the way into our day, my son spotted the new
South American Tropical Rainforest & Aviary and "
Water's Extreme Journey" maze. I honestly almost walked right by these two exhibits. I pessimistically expected the rainforest to be too humid and hot and for the maze to require too much reading for a preschooler. Luckily, my son was more optimistic and insisted that we step in. I'm glad he did. The maze turned out to be a
fun interactive game that my son enjoyed running through. That change in our routine was just what I needed to get out of my rut and enjoy our day.
As parents, frequent outings can become repetitive. And when you are stuck in a rut, sometimes you don't know exactly what will get you out of it. Usually I schedule a non-parenting activity - plan a date night, check out a new store, watch a movie, or go for a run to brighten my mood. I typically assume that I just need a break from my regular parenting routine. But this time my son reminded me that sometimes I don't need a break from parenting at all. Sometimes I can turn to him and his childhood optimism to turn my day around.
Has your family checked out these new exhibits at the San Francisco Zoo yet?
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