Carnegie Hill Mom

“Do you get bored with the work?” my son asked as I bustled around the kitchen, trying to get the kids through supper. “What do you mean?” I responded. “Are you wondering if people ever get bored at their jobs?” “You—do you ever get bored with all the work you do?” He waved his hands around the chaotic kitchen. Hey, at least my five-year-old recognizes that momming is a full-time job. And here he was, pondering whether I get bored ploughing through all the tasks that mothering four young kids entails. “Honestly, I’m too busy to get bored. Some parts of being a mom do seem repetitive or menial . But caring for you kids is never boring.” He had just asked for a second helping of watermelon, but I was caught up pouring milk, squirting ketchup, grabbing squished run-away grapes, and searching for a veggie to add to their plates that wouldn’t cause a revolt. “Mom—why aren’t you giving me watermelon?” “Sorry, bud. I got delayed by a whole bunch of things that needed to happe...

Kids make sense of their world through creative play. Provide the right tools, time, and space, and you’ll be amazed at what connections they make, games they concoct and even scientific principles they witness in action. When our old vacuum refused to suck up one more trampled Cheerio, dried pea, or Play-Doh rock, we found a replacement online and eagerly awaited its delivery. We all know how much kids love boxes (Fort! Space ship! Tea party table! Reading nook!), so you can imagine their groans of despair when I accidentally recycled the new vacuum box. Luckily, I did hold on to three maze-like cardboard packaging inserts that I knew in an instant were creativity gold. When my 5-year-old twins invited a classmate over the next day, they immediately set to work, calling themselves “maker-bakers.” No, they weren’t actually baking anything—they just get a kick out of rhymes. They combed through our apartment to gather materials. While I spent a few minutes cleaning the kitche...