What do you do when your kid becomes a ham?
My daughter just turned seven last month, and she is starting to become a bit of a ham. She’s never been very shy like me, but she has shy days—and though she’s generally outgoing and will wave at or approach anyone, she’s not been one to interrupt all of the time, “steal the show” from a teacher, or need the attention on her much—until now.
Yesterday during parent and child singing class, she couldn’t stop talking, telling jokes, or trying to get her teacher’s attention. It’s the same in her weekly music class; though we aren’t in the room, I can hear her teacher regularly reminding her to stay on task rather than change the subject and want to chat. I think it’s great, on one hand, that she wants to have conversations with all of these people—and I want to laugh when she’s hamming it up, telling jokes, asking why Captain Nemo’s ship is called “The Naughty List”…
But then again, I think this could be a response to me spending less time with her. I’m writing for two companies plus publishing fiction with a company now, which takes a lot of time to self-promote on blogs and social networks.
I’m doing interviews in the time that we normally just play together, and I find myself asking for a few more minutes constantly before she gets my attention. Perhaps this hamming is simply a cry for attention since she’s not receiving nearly as much as she is used to—and a gentle reminder to me that I need to manage my time a bit more wisely.
So parents out there who have “hams” for kids who do need more attention, how do you give it without sacrificing sleep? I did that for several years, was hospitalized, nearly died, and am just not willing to put my body through it all again.
I believe in giving kids what they need, but I am also thinking she is in need of a sibling—something her father and I cannot give her anymore due to the early preeclampsia I contracted during my pregnancy with her. Adoption or foster care is an option that we have thought about for years, but we still aren’t sure about it yet—are you ever really sure? If so, we may never be ready; if not, perhaps we already are.
I would love to hear from parents who have kids who need attention and how you manage to balance work and parenting, especially if you also work at home or homeschool like we do.