Balanced Parenting - take 2

Last year I wrote about balanced parenting. The importance of having a life outside of children has not changed. Learning to balance my needs with the needs of my kids is still a challenge, but it's getting better.

This year for my birthday, my husband took me to try the silks. At this point I'm hanging upside down with the silks wrapped around my arms. I'm desperately holding on with my feet and the instructor told me to just find my balance and let go with my feet. She said it so simply and yet, finding balance in life and on silks is never as easy as it sounds.

At the end of class, we got to choose which of the skills we learned that we wanted to practice on our own. This was one of my favorites - the starfish. I love the feeling of flying through the air and the fact that getting into this position required flipping upside down and back up just made it more fun. Just like last year's birthday experience, this was just for me.

When we were on the way to the place for me to try the silks, Daddy tells the kids we are going to the gym.
Sweet Daughter: "Little gym?"
Daddy: "No, this is a gym for Mama to exercise."
<pause>
Sweet Daughter: "Big gym?"

 
This doesn't mean the kids weren't having fun. There was a great play area right next to the silks so they could play while I was playing. My husband was in charge of taking photos of me and watching the kids.

 

The kids didn't even seem to notice what I was doing. Last year they were more contained when we did the trapeze and they were fascinated. This year no containment and no fascination, but still fun for me.

 

 The day after the silks I wasn't fond of moving. There is a reason the silks are considered an exercise class and the people who do them all look muscular. I was sore for a couple of days, but not nearly as sore as the days after the trapeze. Still, my kids joined me in bed for a relaxing morning - at least until they started jumping on me to "help" me get up.