Summer Fun?

Noah, my three year old son, had been out of preschool for about two weeks now. In that span of time, I have written maybe ten pages. The problem is that I am constantly interrupted. Every time I get "in the groove" my son either gets into something he's not supposed to or needs my help with something.

If it isn't one of those two things, then he climbs up in my lap, puts his head between me and the computer and says, "Mommy, I need to talk to you!" I usually respond by asking what he needs to talk to me about. His reply goes something like this, "Umm, a lizard."

Before I go any further, let me say that I love my son dearly and do enjoy playing with him. I try to spend my mornings doing activities with him, taking him outside, playing games, etc. But in the afternoon, I try really hard to write. It just never seems to happen and it is driving me crazy. The only time I have to write is after Noah goes to bed at 9 p.m., and my brain is usually mush by that time.

I guess it all boils down to discipline. If I really want to write, I'm going to have to suck it up and force myself to write after Noah goes to bed. Balancing my writing with my duties as a Mom is really difficult, especially when I haven't finished my project yet and have nothing to really show my husband to prove that the time I want to spend writing is worthwhile.

I suppose that most writers who aren't able to support themselves just from their writing have to deal with the same lack of time that I do, since they have to hold down a job to pay the bills. But I think the thing that frustrates me the most is that I am at home all day. The computer is right there. And my son seems to be perfectly content to play on his own and entertain himself UNTIL I sit down at the computer.

Now I can understand why parents eagerly await the approach of the school year in August!