Struggles of Motherhood-It doesn’t go away at the border

Too much…too little…there is plenty to worry about when you are trying to figure out the best way to raise a child.  And everyone has an opinion and I get the feeling that no one truly knows what is best.  I realize that “every kid is different” and “only I know what is best for my kid”.  I think a part of me struggles a little bit because I know that I’ve brought Jaden into less than “best” circumstances.  In a culture that will sacrifice absolutely everything to give their child the absolute best in everything, here I am having taken Jaden away from “a prosperous American house” to live in a polluted crowded city in an apartment where he knows to grab the broom when the ceiling paint falls.

I am not naive to the fact that “the best” doesn’t always mean top-of-the-line.  For us “the best” was to follow the Father here.  But that doesn’t mean I still don’t struggle with making sure he’s getting the best in everything else.

The big aspect that I am dealing with is screen time.  The most time that Jaden gets of any screen time is traveling or outings that are going to be longer than two hours.  So usually it is when others are watching which means I am constantly hearing how kids under 3 should not look at screens.  Others tell me and I see on the web how it can lead to ADD and short attention spans.  And I can’t figure out if this is just the fad of the year or if it is true.  Are they accounting for the fact that Jaden doesn’t see any commercials so the only thing he is viewing is the 20 min. show that is slow visually and musical?  Does it account for the iPad only being used for short amount of time with games that are designed for his age group?  Because I will be honest with you, Jaden might end up with 1 hr to 1 1/2 hr. of screen time a week and he just turned 2.

We broke the habit of watching a little something every day because I couldn’t have him see the computer and assume we were watching a show (we don’t have a TV) and deal with the melt-down when he realized we weren’t going to watch one.  But now, with our sporadic viewing he is able to learn songs and vocabulary and sign language from the programs he does see and play with.  With the iPad he is able to touch and maneuver through it all with such curiosity and sings the songs over and over again.  He repeats new words and follows the motions to different songs.  Is all that really going to scar him for life?  Does that really mess up his brain so much that he won’t be able to concentrate later?

Jaden has a very active lifestyle as I am sure every 2 year old does.  Jaden loves reading books.  He’ll play with his cars, run, slide, build tall towers and can play independently for a good while.  He’ll find different things around the house and will make up his own games and explore things thoroughly.  He will color a  whole page and will direct me to draw different pictures.  As far as I can tell he can concentrate and work on things quite well for a two-year old.

So my question is…is this new rule “no screen time for 3 and under” completely applicable?

The other aspect that has taken my full attention is food. Slowly but surely I have been exploring the different snack items that are available here in U-town.  To be honest there isn’t much, so I’ve been working my butt off trying to figure out how to make it all from scratch with limited supplies.    When we go to restaurants I usually bring something for Jaden to eat.  There are a few dishes that Jaden likes and can eat here but it isn’t the healthiest, standards aren’t always (ok hardly ever) up to par and it can be really spicy.  Well, of course, if I bring any packaged food with me for Jaden to eat (like pouches grandparents send from America) then I get the whole “that might not be safe” routine.

Josh and I returned here knowing that this region was gripped with fear.  There is plenty to be afraid of especially in this region and I think I was surprised that food has been added to the list.  When we first came out to XJ we were here when a lot of babies died because of contaminated formula.  A good 5 years later and I’ve seen that their fear of food has grown considerably.  I will admit, I don’t give Jaden the milk here (I make my own almond milk) and there is a lot that we avoid (mostly because we don’t like it or I don’t know what’s in it).  But the pressure to make everything is exhausting, not to mention trying to figure out how to make it. I now completely understand why “back in the day” people hired cooks in their households.

So those are my current musings and struggles of motherhood.  I would love any feedback and I’ll take any recipes you might have that only require basic/natural ingredients!