Karen Hickey
Mother of three, musician, social worker and green thumb chef
When I was a child, my grandmother would often ask us “Are we having FUN yet?”, with the emphasis on fun.
Yesterday, after much discussion, I agreed to find another guinea pig for our lonely little one. I need to mention that I needed another pet in the house like a hole in the head, but I had promised my children they could have another guinea. So, my search led me to find two more, a total of three. Forget that I’ve taken on three volunteer jobs that absorb my mornings, I had to take on three guinea pigs. My husband thought me mad.
“Don’t be afraid to dream a bit bigger, darling.” During the days of staycation, my husband and I were planning a dream vacation. For me, a hotel with a pool and restaurant was fine. He wanted a beautiful setting with adventurous trails and sites. I thought this was too ambitious.
Recently, my children have suffered from my wilful mismanagement of videos & video games, and are constantly snacking, fighting, and forgetting any house rules. Yes, it’s come to this.
My husband and I recently celebrated our 11th anniversary and prided ourselves on our common ground. We decided to go away for a weekend by ourselves, and chose to ignore all the tensions over the years.
I never knew that caring too much about my children could be a problem. Recently, I was helping my 8-year-old daughter with her homework.
I keep thinking that I should be grateful for what I have, when others have it worse off during this lockdown.
Mother of three, musician, social worker and green thumb chef