OT: Working Moms Have 30 Hours of Leisure Time a Week? Article Airs on Dr. Phil on 3/31

[Guest guest]

Hello!

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/11/AR2010011101999\

..html>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/11/AR2010011101999.\

html

I read this great article in the Washington Post Magazine during my leisure

time (at the doctor's office for my back pain on January 18th - a federal

holiday) as a full-time working mom with 2 children, one with special needs.

I rarely get the time to read anything other than work materials and

materials of interest related to my developmentally delayed child (with

DCD/MERLD). But this cover of the Washington Post Magazine caught my eye.

I have attached the link to the article.

The author, Brigid Schulte, was kind of enough to email back after I sent

her a " GREAT ARTICLE " email. The article was well received by many. In

fact, she got a call from Dr. Phil about her article, and she will be on the

show via satellite on Wednesday March 31st when it is slotted to air. I

will have to DVR it because I will be at work, but please keep an eye out

for it. It is a really interesting story. A professor at the University of

land (Dr. ) suggests that working moms today have more leisure

time then when moms were at home with the kids. Apparently, the show has

already taped, and Dr. was brought out in hockey equipment to

protect him from angry women in the audience.

Brigid is a great writer. I hope she writes a book some day as her article

really spoke to me. People (OK - just women so far) ask me how I do all

that I do. Well, it helps that I have a supportive husband willing to split

all the household chores. And the rest is just being really good at

multi-tasking. I often read ads, apply make-up, write in my journal, on the

metro to work. I let the kids watch Dora/Diego/Kailan/Chuggington, etc.

with me when I am on the treadmill, for example. Working out yet spending

time with them. And I also watch less than 5 hours of TV/movies a week,

much less than the national average. And usually, I am also working on my

computer, on my treadmill, while the TV show I DVRed is playing. We also

very rarely go out to eat. We prefer to eat at home. We also plan a lot of

activities just for the kids so that they get 100% of our time and attention

during that time, at the park, at an amusement park, at Girl Scouts, and so

forth, so that when we have to do errands and chores (also great

opportunities to engage the kids) we feel that we counterbalance it with

just family events.

Anyway, I encourage you to read this great article from the Washington Post

on all our leisure time (like when Brigid was sitting in the car with her

child waiting for a tow truck to come) and to catch her segment on the Dr.

Phil show next Wednesday March 31st.

Please feel free to share this email with others.

Kari

Kari Fisher

www.karifisher.net

www.developmentdelays.org

Development Delays Inc. is dedicated to our late talkers, walkers, and

sensory processors: helping children through adulthood with language, motor,

sensory processing, or socialization challenges.

To connect with families worldwide in the Development Delay's Discussion

Group, please join us at Big Tent.

<https://www.bigtent.com/groups/developdelay>

https://www.bigtent.com/groups/developdelay

[if you have any difficulty signing up to Big Tent, please email

developmentdelays@..., and an invitation will be sent to your email

address.]

Development Delays Inc. is a national 501©(3) charitable organization in

the United States dedicated to advocacy, education, research, increasing

awareness, outreach, and providing support for children, adolescents, and

adults impacted by developmental coordination disorder (sensory processing

disorder or dyspraxia) or an expressive and/or receptive language disorder

(language delay, auditory processing disorder, speech delay, or late talker)

and facing language, motor, sensory processing, or socialization challenges.

[Guest guest]

I know some people probably would get upset with what the doctor said -but I

found this to be if not true -very wise advice. We all need to find time for

ourselves. Sometimes when I'm throwing one of the 3 loads of laundry a day in I

stop and think " what did those poor women do before washing machines " And I

think the same thing many times when I use my dishwasher, and roomba, and that I

can click on a light instead of making a candle and the fire to light it...and I

don't stop there. Did anyone here ever try to make butter from cream?!! OK

perhaps I'm going a bit further back in time but I grew up with a woman who I

know from not that long ago worked way harder than I do each day -and I run all

day just like all of us.

My grandmother grew up on a farm and there were no short cuts for grandma! I

recall one day being over her house and she was getting ready for a houseful of

company as usual and was washing all her good dishes by hand one by one. I

asked her " Grandma why don't you just use the dishwasher? " and she said " I don't

trust the dishwasher to clean them well enough " (my grandmother was always

cooking and cleaning)

I guess growing up with someone like my grandmother in my life..that yes I agree

there are some of us today -no matter how busy we believe our lives are, no

matter we don't believe we have a second to spare that have more time than our

grandmothers to tweet and text and facebook our complaints about why this is

such a ridiculous observation by this doctor. My one friend works from early in

the AM till late each night and complains to me every time we are on the phone

how she doesn't have a life. But she makes more money WAY more money then her

family spends -and she still has time to be on facebook, to travel, to go for

pedicures, to chat on the phone -to complain to me about how she has no time.

I've already told her if she hates her life that much to quit her job and find

one that provides her with more free time. It's getting harder and harder for

me to return her calls because who wants to listen to someone that complains

about something they would have the ability to change if they wanted? I have

another high powered friend who just sold her business for 6 figures but will

stay on as a consultant was diagnosed with bronchitis -but of course had no time

to stop. To a point I get it...but for a jewelry party??? This friend agreed

to have a home jewelry party for a friend and even though she could barely

breathe she didn't want to upset the friend who had all the people invited over

to her home. I yelled at her " Are you nuts?!! " (yes I was invited over too)

She explained to me " Well I don't have to do anything ___will be doing

everything "

Fast forward to 10 PM As I stood there at the end of the evening helping the

hostess with bronchitis clean up (!!!) a few of the I guess " busy " moms walked

in to complain why was I putting all the food away and I said " ___needs to get

to bed! " It was 10 PM and here she was sitting there coughing and they were in

my eyes completely inconsiderate! The next day this same friend fb'd " It is

such a horrible feeling not to be able to breathe " So I found some leisure time

to stop by and drop off some stuff for her. Some of the people that complain

about what this doctor wrote were probably sitting in that room!

To me if you have the time to complain about how busy you are... online...with a

blog even, or to show up at the Dr. Phil show live to attack some doctor who is

basically telling all of us to enjoy life more!!! -then I agree with the good

doctor -spend that " leisure " time you spend complaining doing something more

constructive. We all only get one life -and if you don't enjoy it that's our

own fault. Life is a choice. My grandmother who woke up early each morning to

care for her farm and spent each minute working away- I never heard her

complain. She made no money doing what she did but I've never seen anyone work

as hard as my grandmother. I can't even remember what she looked like sitting

down. I can't imagine her getting a pedicure, never recall her taking any

trips...but she did like to chat on the phone really early in the morning with a

friend before the sun rose -that was 'her' leisure time. And she enjoyed every

minute of it.

=====