Making treats as an occupation

2024/05/09

I have written about how Miki’s making treats with her children on weekends supports their balance in their hectic weeks and makes a time of closeness for mother and children.

Today I want to share with you about a view of making treats as an occupation from these angles:

              the form of the occupation of making treats with her kids on weekends,

              the function of the occupation,

              and the meaning of the occupation.

To look at this occupation in a big occupational picture, let’s imagine Miki engaging in making treats with her kids on weekends.

Miki’s daughters engaged in

making treats with Mom

Situation:

Miki is a fulltime occupational therapist with two daughters,

Sachi, aged four-years old and Yuki 1-year old.

She has to accomplish many things, her job work, child care and

house chores.

She always feels chased by time on the weekdays.

She wakes up at 5am, wakes up her daughters, feeds them, takes them

to the nursery, works 8am to 5pm, takes the kids home, takes care of

them, prepares for the next day and carries out other household chores.

She feels guilty that she doesn’t have enough time to enjoy being

with her kids.

Miki knows well that children need being engaged with their mothers

for their health and development, but Miki is too busy to be with her kids

much at all on weekdays.

It is the environment’s challenge to her.

Now Miki punches (confronts) back at the environment’s challenge

using making treats with her kids on weekends.

Form of the occupation:   

Miki has a lot of tasks to do all day long and every weekday.

She always feels chased by time.

On weekends, however, she and her family stay home and relax.

She and her daughters make treats in her kitchen.

Myuu chooses what to make: cookies or popcorn.

When they finish treats, her daughter is happy to eat what she makes,

and as much of it as she likes.

Myuu says proudly to Miki “We’ve made cookies today.”

Yuki can not really do much to help

but she is excited to be with them and moves around her mom

and her sister, touching their legs and getting “underfoot”

but with both of them enjoying her there.

Function of the occupation:

Keeping balance on weekends with weekdays

Miki’s weekdays are really hectic.

She has lots of tasks to accomplish so she feels chased by time and tense.

Her kids are also busy to fit mom’s schedule and put up with what

they want to do. 

On weekends, staying home and relaxing remove tense during weekdays

and promotes relaxation.

It supports the weekends to keep balance with the hectic weekdays.

Making treats is a symbolic occupation of weekends, to Miki and her kids.

Making treats

Generally, young kids want to be with mom and always seek attention

from her.

Making treats on weekends supports Miki to share time and space

with her kids and enjoying being with them, so she can meet her kid’s

wish to be with her.

Their wish and indulgence are prioritized in making treats on weekends.

Myuu could make what she wanted and how she wanted.

Her mom fixed her cookies when she had a trouble in making cookies.  

Mom praised her even though she made a flower cooky when

they were making round ones.

Looking at the flower cookie, her mom said “Oh, that’s cool!”

She could also eat cookies as much as she wanted.

The kid can choose what she wants, cookies or popcorn, and flower

cookies or round cookies.

She is praised, indulged and accepted by mom.

The kid is satisfied to recognize herself connected with her mom,

feel comfortable, settled down and energized, also feels herself

belong to family.  

Myuu’s “We’ve made cookies today” showed that she was

satisfied with time of closeness with her mom.

Receiving the kid’s comment, Miki recognized that her kid knew mom loved her.

Both the mom and the child are satisfied with time and space in which

they shared.

Yuki didn’t join making treats but she participated in

mother and child occupation, through moving around her family’s

steps and being excited with them.

She belonged to them and was a part of the family.

On weekdays, Miki and her kids prioritized tasks.

They couldn’t enjoy communicating each other.

Because to mom, to meet kid’s wish is a part of mother’s love,

Miki feels guilty with weekday life, task-oriented.

Through treats making on weekends, Miki and her kids keep balance

with their weekdays.

Nowadays Miki prioritizes time for kids.

She sacrifices her personal time.

But she persuades herself that it is only when her kids are very young.

Once they grow up, she will have more time for herself.

She should keep balance of her time across her life.

Meaning of the occupation

Making treats on weekends is a symbolic occupation of mother and child

to Miki and her kids. 

They cannot enjoy being together on weekdays because they are hectic

to accomplish tasks.

On weekends Miki and her kids keep balance with their weekends

using making treats.

Making treats on weekends is one of important occupations

for Miki and her kids to build family using time of closeness

and co-communication among them.

Making treats has also a meaning that supports bonding time

necessary for kids’ wellbeing and development.