Stop the ride - I want to get off

Life is moving waaay too fast right now. I would even go so far as to say that its picking up speed as we go. How did this happen? Why is it like this?? How do we make it stop? I've talked to three different moms today who feel the same way. Everyone sounds so frantic and so scared. There is so much to worry about these days - suicides, drug overdoses, sexualized kids, bullying. Was it always like this? I think that, with the media coming at us in so many forms and so many different ways, we are overwhelmed and completely saturated with bad news. Scary news. It's no wonder we're all terrified and running off to get ourselves on anti-depressants!! It's as if we're on a speeding train that won't slow down. The only option is to jump off but that ain't much of an option. 

And what about the kids? What are we teaching them by running around in a million different directions looking panicked and unhappy? How many times a day do I say to my kids "I can't come and watch you (jump on the trampoline, climb the tree out front, do a stunt on your bike or look at a picture you drew) because I'm too busy. I have way too much to do. Or, we're running out the door (late) to get to someplace I usually don't want to go. Is that really living? I have made one decision to try to slow things down. I have chosen to not have my kids involved in extra-curricular activities. Really. I know that this is bucking the trend and I've actually had parents ask me why I would do such a thing. Like it's child abuse or something. I know, that for my family, adding on extra stuff is a step too far. It came to me last year as I was fighting with my son about going to swim practice. He didn't want to go. I had paid the money already and he was going. Then it occurred to me, as I was physically stuffing him into the car, that this was lunacy. Wasn't the whole swimming thing supposed to be for his enjoyment? And if he's not enjoying it (and neither was I at that moment) then what was the point? I'm not advocating raising a bunch of quitters who sign up for stuff then decide they don't want to do it anymore. I'm advocating that a 10 year old kid shouldn't have extra commitments that stress him out and make him cry. 

 But there doesn't seem to be a way to slow the rest of it down, short of running away Up North and living off the land in seclusion. That's something I might consider except there aren't any good restaurants, we'd be too far from the movie theater, the nearest grocery store is too far away and there might be bears. Plus, if we didn't have Internet access, I'd have to deal with Joe's withdrawal symptoms. See, more work for me! I want to go back to the 1950's. Ok, the 1950's minus the threat of nuclear war and having to wear heels and pearls to clean the house. I want to go back to a time when we didn't have all the technology that we have now and I didn't have to remind my husband not to call, text and/or answer email at the dinner table. A time when kids ran freely through neighborhoods, dads went to work, moms stayed home, dinner was on the table, and a lot more time was spent together. (To be fair, I wasn't alive during the 1950's so I could be way off on some of that but it sure sounds good to me.) So for all of you that are running to swim practice, youth group and Spanish class tonight, trying to figure out how to prepare a dinner at 3:00 that will still be good at 8:00 (when everyone gets home), I salute you. And I wish you rest. Or at least cancelled swim practice....