A while back, having finally accepted that I would never fully commit to the gym, I started wearing those shape-up exercise sneakers. You know those institutional-looking blocks of rubber with the thick, curvy soles? Having three kids in three different schools on the Upper West Side, I walk my fair share of city blocks. And if these rolly-polly sneakers could improve the look and feel of my rolly-polly posterior, I’m all in.—
Do they work? I’m not sure. My assets are not yet as perky as I’d hoped. But I did hear of a personal trainer who claims the sneakers are effective. They’re effective because they keep you on your toes. Literally. With their circular bottoms, they throw you off balance, so you must be mindful of every step you take–and you must cast your whole self into the routine.
As I made my way up Broadway this morning–rolling and flexing and tripping a bit in my institutional trainers–it occurred to me that these odd sneakers are a lot like parenting. From the moment you step in, you walk the world differently.
We each have varying mindsets when we enter parenthood. I plunged in haphazardly, swept up by a mixture of anxiety and exhilaration. From the moment they placed that beautiful boy in my arms, life was different. And now, nearly 16 years and 3 children into the journey, I see there are days when I’m quite sure-footed; and others when I stumble off track.
Like a trip in those wobbly sneakers, life with kids is not predictable. The moment you’re well-versed in one stage, you’re on to another. You step from liquids to solids. From naps to non-stop. From hand-holding to cell phones.
Parenthood is a constant exercise in getting it right, or at least getting it better. The kind of mom I’d hoped I’d be before having kids is quite different from the mom I am today. Having three kids from ages 8 to 15 means that I gear-switch constantly. I don’t relate to my high-schooler the same way I do to my middle-schooler; and I don’t relate to her the way I do to my elementary-schooler. It’s a Barnum & Bailey-like juggle everyday.
So what’s a full-time mom and a part-time writer to do? Start a blog, of course, with NY Family–a magazine I’ve loved and written for for years. And on this blog–to be known starting now as Parenting in Progress–I will chart the ups and downs; the ins and outs; the twists and turns of raising kids in this city. I will offer tips, as well as cautionary tales, on what I’ve learned while navigating the tricky terrain of parenthood these many years. And I invite you all to weigh in, too. Our experiences will surely differ, but our general path is the same. We can learn from each other. For now, though, I’m off, exercise shoes tightly laced, to round up my kids from school. Walk easy. We’ll talk soon!
