The Challenge of One

Having one child comes with its positives and its challenges for us poor ol' parents.

On the positive side, you can focus all your energies on one kid.  Whether its travelling, deciding on schooling options, or even planning bed time, you only have to think about one person, which just makes things easier.

On the challenge side, you do have to constantly think about stuff to do. Because without any siblings, the default play friend of a 7-year old girl is...you! Well, you or TV (i.e. netflix).

To be fair, Margot, does a decent job of occupying herself quietly (ahhh the dream of all busy parents). These days her favourite activities are Shopkins*, organizing pokemon cards, drawing, and reading French books. And while we have come to a decent understanding on the amount of TV she can watch a day, that still leaves a lot of hours a day to fill - especially in the summer.

It's a never ending challenge!. It's probably the reason our family is constantly going on walks, even in the dead of winter.

Sometimes we split up who plays with Margot based on what she wants to do. For example, Margot only wants Glosette Girl to read her stories in French and she only wants me when she wants to play board games or kick a soccer ball around our backyard (guilty tired parent secret: when Margot chooses an activity that only Glosette Girl can do I secretly smile inside and vice-versa!)

This past week we tried our hand at teaching Margot tennis at nearby Fairmont Park.  It went...really well.

Glosette Girl serving up some style

Better than well actually! Between lessons for Margot, Glosette Girl and I played a few games between ourselves while she read a book on the sidelines.

Basic physics tells you that the ball was not intercepted before it hit the photographer

 A good couple of hours of energy spent at the park.

"What's next dada?!"

* What mad genius came up with Shopkins? They are toys that are made up of a bunch of regular household items you buy from a store that talk for some reason. Like a talking donut. What am I missing here...?