Family matters

Lately I've been doing the following: taking care of my kids, picking stuff that isn't mine up off the floor, explaining over and over again to a 7-year old why we cannot have a pet, researching if in fact we could have a pet, wondering if I can tolerate finding anymore upside down goldfish in my life, picking stuff that isn't mine up off the floor, doing laundry, crocheting an afghan, studying Spanish, trying to write a parenting column, watching a television series about spoiled Madrileño teenagers who spend a ridiculous amount of time hanging out in bathrooms, changing my career, working on my illustrations, cooking dinner, making doctors appointments, doing more laundry, cooking more dinner, copy editing and picking stuff that isn't mine up off the floor.

I know that for most parents, this is just life but I feel that I've been spreading myself too thin lately and that something has to change. Now, some of you might say that perhaps I could put the afghan on hold or stop watching so much trashy television. Others will realize that that is completely out of the question. Some people have a drink to unwind at the end of the day. I, on the other hand, do stuff with yarn while watching good looking Spanish teenagers screw up their lives.

In the end, I've decided that I can't continue writing this column. I need to focus a bit more on what I really want to do in my life, even if it means letting go of things that I enjoy. It has been a lot of fun writing about the adventure of being a foreign parent in Barcelona and I have also enjoyed hearing from readers individually. One of the things that makes it tolerable to be a parent so far from home is the sense of community that we can build with other foreigners who are in similar situations. I will no longer be writing the Family Matters column but I want to thank you all for reading and commenting during the past several months. Raising children in Barcelona is an amazing experience and I'm so glad that I've gotten to share part of it with all of you!