Alexis Senge JohnsonIn the world of production it takes a lot to rattle my cage. From a total equipment meltdown to performers walking off the edge of the stage mid-show, I’ve led teams through it all without any hesitation. Meanwhile, my boys somehow manage to rock my world with their outlandish requests on a weekly basis.
Some days it’s necessary to explain that we can’t go on a unicorn expedition through the grocery store on roller skates with our fishing poles. Other days it’s just easier to get creative and figure it out so the request stops being repeated over and over again. Either way, I give the boys serious credit for somehow always knowing how to ask for something we clearly don’t have or even have access to. I have zero clue where they get these ideas.
Recently they declared that they just couldn’t live without blueberry yogurt for breakfast. Not their wildest request, but upon opening the fridge I realized they had cleared us out of all fruit related yogurt and the only thing left was plain Greek yogurt. If you’ve ever suffered through the tartness of plain Greek yogurt then you’re well aware that there’s absolutely no chance of convincing two boys younger than pre-school age that it’s a suitable substitute.
I immediately started to scrounge around for food substitutes like a Survivor contestant freaking out on day five. Fresh blueberries? All out! Blackberries? Gone! Raspberries? Nada! Strawberries? Definitely all consumed by the afore mentioned bottomless pits known as our growing boys. I was about to gear up for the battle of explain how we were all out and then I saw it. Sitting there, hiding among it’s fellow condiment friends, was my beacon of hope…BLUEBERRY PRESERVES! I felt like I won the mom lottery as I tossed a small bit into the bland yogurt and saved the day by mixing it together.
That’s when I realized parenting is absolutely the same as the world of production. You need creativity, resourcefulness, quick thinking, composure and the will to never give up because the show must always go on. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself with a cranky audience of tiny humans melting down just as quick as the show director that was informed hopes and dreams aren’t feasible within the budget.
Kids upset that their water, toys and bubbles have to be shared with someone else in the tub? Laundry basket to the rescue! Now, before you ask, it does indeed have holes all through it. While you and I, as adults with the power to reason, know that won’t keep water and bubbles from escaping the kids apparently had no clue because I achieved rockstar mom status in their eyes that night.
Need an hour of sanity and a way to keep your bored little ones from trying to annoy the snot out of one another? Storage bin, plastic cups, bath toys and water from your average garden hose grants you an hour or more of peaceful play! Substitute a Sam’s or Costco size amount of rice, oatmeal, or even packing peanuts and you can bring the whole thing inside during these cold months.
Call them mom hacks or desperate moments of resourcefulness when under pressure. These silly ideas, some of which I’m certain were filed in my brain after seeing them online during late night nursing sessions ages ago, have saved me from countless tears and might just do the same for you. It’s all about thinking out of the box and using whatever you can scrounge up at the moment. Good luck and stay resourceful!
