Mom, the Ultimate Multi-tasker

Posted by mamas

Posted: June 3, 2008 - 10:00 pm

A mother soon learns to adapt to her environment, as the need to be able to do multiple things at once arises. Of course some children are more high maintenance than others, but all of them will make you wish that you had another set of hands and a spare brain. Believe it or not, this situational balancing act actually begins to feel normal at some point.

On a recent trip out of state, I found myself preparing to de-plane and using my pregnant body as a luggage and baby carrier. First I secured my purse over my neck and shoulder, then grabbed a heavy bag and slung it over my right arm. I was holding my toddler in front and asked a kind gentleman to assist me with getting the back pack down from the overhead bin. I then put the back pack on my back and slipped the blanket across my sleepy child while holding a sippy cup in my left hand. The airplane passengers seemed impressed as I layered each item onto me, but these circumstances did not seem unusual to my way of thinking. I’m a mom and moms do what they have to.

I was told once that research has shown that too much multi-tasking can serve to lower your I.Q. If this is truly the case, than I am in trouble. Maybe that’s what “mommy brain” is all about. You start to fritz out a little. I still remember how frustrating it was to me, as a child, when my mother wouldn’t finish her sentences. She would trail off into silent thought somewhere in the middle and leave me hanging. Now, I realize that a mom’s brain is full and is often contemplating multiple matters at once. Focusing one hundred percent on an issue or a conversation would mean dropping the mental ball on several other situations.

A mother has to be able to process much information during the course of a day. There are practical scenarios such as making dinner, running errands, and seeing to it that all children are fed, bathed, and in bed at the appropriate time. There are also physical issues such as nutrition, exercise and rest. And of course, she should not neglect the emotional issues such as mental, spiritual, and relational health. Then there are the various roles that she must play, such as referee, doctor, and most excellent book reader, singer, and comforter. Mothers expend great amounts of energy by making an effort to achieve all of these jobs and more.

Therefore, the question of whether or not to multi-task as a mom really doesn’t seem to exist. You must, to some degree, do several things at once. Keep in mind, that it is necessary to maintain balance as well. I certainly was surprised the first time that I didn’t complete my sentence because I was thinking about something else at that moment. That is when I decided that I did not want to become a casualty of “mommy burnout” and perhaps I should not multi-task quite so much. However, I find that the skill of being able to handle several scenarios at once is extremely useful as a mom, and I will continue to employ it as necessary. Besides, at the end of the day, when all is said and done and I am asleep, I am not multi-tasking at all.

Are you a multi-tasking mom? Does it feel overwhelming or normal to multi-task?

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