Wisdom of the Airline Flight Attendant Speech...

After I have boarded my flight and settled into the cramped seat, (crawling over the two other passengers who got on ahead of me), the flight attendant begins his/her safety and information speech, "Good Morning and welcome aboard Flight blah blah blah, to blah blah blah. We would now like to tell you about some important safety features on board this aircraft, the blah blah blah." About halfway through the monologue, the part that is most confusing to many moms goes like this. "In the rare event of a loss of cabin pressure face masks will drop down from the over head bins. Stick the mask over your nose area like the flight attendant is doing now and please put the mask over your mouth before one of your children and then help your child." This is anathema to motherly instincts. I have heard, "What, me take a breath before my child? Impossible." But there is much wisdom in that statement which should be applicable in everyday life too. Moms traditionally have been the caretakers of children and today there are many more fathers pitching in so this also applies to those dads who are equal or primary caretakers. Take care of yourself or you may not be physically or mentally able to take care of your children. Rest, proper nutrition, time away from "kid stuff" could re-energize your body to cope with the chaos and joys of childcare. Children will benefit from an alert, rested parent who's ready to play, help with homework, cook a nutritious meal, or (heaven forbid) mete out discipline without too much anger. I don't have a lot of experience taking care of children except for raising my two sisters starting when I was eleven years old and continuing through college. I wish I had listened more closely to the flight attendant speech back then. It's hard to "put the mask over your mouth" first, but a parent without a break is a broken parent. Children can see this and will capitalize on your vulnerabilities. Kids aren't mean, they are just opportunistic, and they can participate or they can rule.