Snow Pants and MOFOs

I was literally thinking “what should I write this first Modern Mom blog post about” when the phone rang: “Dr. Jen, your son had a pee-pee accident on the playground, and there wasn’t a change of clothes in his box, so we have him in last year’s snow pants” (its 68 degrees outside in New York today).  Before I go on, I do have to say that there WAS a change of clothes this time, two changes of clothes actually, but I put the bag in the wrong kid’s cubby this morning.

I am super excited to write for Modern Mom. I started following @MODERNMOM on Twitter last summer (I’m @PLAYTHISWAY) when I launched my toy company. My friend’s father coined the phrase “MOFO” (Mothers of Four), and I loved the fact that Brooke Burke was a MOFO. I especially loved the fact that there was a gorgeous, involved MOFO businesswoman out there writing about her life in such an honest and approachable way.

So, here’s my chance to share a bit of mother of two sets of twins / pediatrician / toy inventor wisdom (if you can call it that!) and hopefully generate some smiles and laughter in the process.

I recently received this email from my daughter’s teacher:

Friday October 1st, 2010

Hi, Dr. Jen,

I just want to confirm that you do want your daughter to participate in Junior Great Books. Her name was filled in twice – once in the “will participate” space and once in the “will not participate” space! J Just let me know when you get the chance.

Thanks!

Mrs. Teacher

What do I love about that email?  The little smiley face J, “When you get the chance”, and “Thanks!”.  She gets it!  She’s supportive.  She’s a member of the club  – the group of people in my closest circle and my extended circle who are kind, understanding and sensitive to the multi-tasking madness of modern motherhood.   One child or more, working outside the home or working at home, we all have those moments (I personally don’t buy the phrase “I don’t work” from any mother!).  Its all about our approach to those “moments”.  When I read Mrs. Teacher’s note, I smiled, showed it to my husband and we both laughed hysterically.  My husband knows I have had to become a great multi-tasker to survive; he also knows I am sometimes doing so much multi-tasking that my brain is not quite sure what direction it is going in.  (My husband was not as enthused when I left both pairs of my twin boys’ new sneakers on the soccer field last weekend.  If you happen to have found four brand new sneakers that glow in the dark on a soccer field, they’re probably mine!).  But in general, we try and laugh about the mayhem.  This is what life is all about  –  juggling everything to do with work and children and everyday life and trying to ENJOY the ride and embrace those times when it doesn’t go perfectly.  Embrace the madness?  Yes – and in the process of picking yourself up by the bootstraps, teach your children how to solve problems.  I am big believer that if you always focus on the solution that many problems can be solved, or at least begin the road towards solving.  If we can teach our children how to always try to move forward, accept that failure is an inevitable part of life, and that success tastes that much sweeter from having tried so hard to achieve, we are giving them the skills and coping mechanisms to handle the curve balls and enjoy life to the fullest!  

I plan to write a lot more about problem solving in future columns because I believe it is a skill that can actually be learned by all children and lead them to live a much happier, more confident life.

Got to run (as usual).

Enjoy Your Children!

Dr. Jen