Ok so I have two worlds. My every day world of being Mom to my 3 boys and my gaming world. Most of the time I keep these two worlds separate. I'm not so addicted that I play the game when my kids are awake and need me (although once in awhile if the littler ones are napping I may pop on for a few). I really try to wait until everyone is in their own dream worlds before logging in to my Otherworld. But sometimes despite my attempts these two worlds collide.
Now most people would think hey its a game! Whats so hard about going afk (away from keyboard) when your child wanders in asking for water or the baby starts to cry. Well it's true, and I do. But once in awhile we'll be in the middle of a raid fight, 23 other people depending on me to be there and save their ass when they take a full hit and die. And in certain times if I leave, everyone dies and I get yelled at. I hate getting yelled at.
It's normally very rare for this to happen. But I also know where I'm needed most. My game.... JUST KIDDING! My kids come first, always. So I will tend to go afk quite a bit in the middle of raids if I'm needed. It gets frustrating though when you slog through the whole day listening to Dora the Explorer while nursing a vampire child who would never let go if he had his way, simultaneously helping to do homework even Einstein would scratch his head at in confusion. (OK I don't do math. I really suck at it, even at a 2nd grade level. Really it's how the damn problems are worded but still it ticks me off when I cant figure out how many hats Suzie has compared to Mark). So at night time I need that time to myself to recharge my batteries. It's vital to me being the best I can be. So when Zavi comes wandering in for the 7th time that night asking for another snack (which we tell him you've already had 4 snacks and THIS is why you need to eat all your dinner!!!) or Ashe decides to bang on the door of his room because he woke up and wants another book, my blood pressure skyrockets.
The newest twist is Soren. Now I understood point blank that I would have to take time off gaming for awhile when he was born. I even cautiously gave myself 3 months. Oddly enough in the first week he started sleeping right at 7:30 (raids start at 8) so I was stoked! I thought Yes! I can be a mom to a newborn and kick butt in raiding a few nights a week! And it worked great, for a few weeks. But then all of a sudden he's decided that the world is just so cool (it is) that there is no time for sleep! Sleep is for the weak man! So he is up until the wee hours of the night, happily cooing and reaching out for my hair, or my boob, or my headset.
I've gotten really good at raiding while nursing. I throw my boppy pillow on my lap, contort Soren into the strange position he adores,and let him go to town while I'm stabbing monsters with my pointy stick. It's actually become a game within a game to me: how high of DPS (meaning how much can I damage the mob) while nursing at the same time? I get a perverse pleasure out of out DPSing other players of the same class when I'm nursing a baby at the same time. (and uhh, to any guildies who may be reading this... stop laughing!!!)
J has been really understanding about how much I need a break at night from the kids in order to recharge. Lets face it, a happy mom is a happy family. And a not so happy mom makes everyone miserable. To keep the peace he offered to switch off in dealing with Sorens late night excursions. We alternate nights so at least one of us can relax while the other deals with a 9 week old who acts like he downed a bottle of speed. J also has this magic touch I just can not duplicate. Somehow he can get Soren to realize how great sleep is by 8:30-9pm most nights. Me? We're up until 12am. I've tried doing his shtick of rocking him in the car seat on the bed with NPR playing on the radio (if anything can bore someone to sleep its NPR). I've tried my own twist of turning on the laptop and playing the sound of waves via youtube over and over again, passing out myself while Soren still happily gurgles from his vantage point. I just don't have it.
I'm seriously looking forward to the time when Soren gets into his swing of sleeping like a normal baby. Cat naps and staying up until night clubs call for the final round gets old fast when you're an old fogey like myself. And I'm jonesing to get back into the real swing of things and leave one world behind for another if only for a couple of hours. I just need that peace and quiet while I tear up mobs and smack talk with my friends again, undisturbed.
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