Boots 'n all

Over the past week my family has undergone some serious changes, from seeing our stuff loaded into the back of a container bound for the UK, to moving house and saying goodbye to my husband who will be spending six weeks in the UK ahead of our arrival. It has been busy, it has been chaotic, it has been stressful, and I now feel as though I’ve been stripped to my rawest point.

                Rawness is not a luxury I can afford though as I prance around, all smiles (or stiff plastered-on toothy grimaces) for my children in an attempt to keep everything as normal as possible. But who am I kidding? We are so far removed from our safe routine that I would be an idiot if I thought the kids don’t notice all the changes. But I try anyway because in amidst all the stuff it’s one of the few things I can actually do – maintain routines and feelings of safety – and not just for the kids, but for myself as well.

                And I am sure it has more than a little to do with my personality and parenting type – some would see this as big ol’ adventure I’m sure, but not me. I’ve realised now more than ever that I am a person who thrives on routine, safety, and predictability – and I’ve read countless times that children thrive on (and need) this too. I am just not comfortable until everything has a place and we all know what time we hit the sack at night – to put it simplistically.

                Can I be a ‘barefoot parent’ if I’m such stickler for routine? I am so sure that a person with my level of anal-retentiveness is automatically a ‘hiking boots with knee-high socks just in case of snack bites and random ticks’ parent… And, if that is what I am – boots and socks and all – can I ever hope to come close to ‘barefoot parenting’?

                And maybe I’m bending the rules here, but yes dammit, I think I can! I think that once the routines are set, I am sure I’m being a good mama, and I feel safe and sound, I can chuck the boots and knee-highs and let my bare toes sink into the soft green grass. But for now, it’s uncertain and new and my natural instinct is to don those boots and all.