finding balance

I took Tobey to Mass this morning, and he was such a perfect angel! (With the exception of a few squeals here and there...loud, high-pitched, deafening squeals.) It made me think that I should bring Tobey to Mass more often. He didn't seem to mind being there at all.

But then I was thinking about a conversation I had with a neighbor friend of mine the other day. She is a wonderful person and a wonderful mom to a little boy about Tobey's age. (We are trying to get them to be playmates, but they just don't seem to get it so far.) She was telling me how she doesn't like to take her son on errands or to the places she wants to go. She tries to do that stuff while he is at his school. I've been kind of at the other end of the spectrum.  I take Tobey EVERYWHERE, and ANYWHERE I want to go (or have to go).I've even taken him to my doctor's appointments. I just figure he wants to be with me and learns by going places.

So anyways, thinking about that conversation with my neighbor, it made me think about what is the balance for taking care of your kid and your agenda. What is the line between caring for them and getting done what you need to get done? Should they go on all your errands? I still think Tobey learns from being in real world situations. How would he learn about the world sitting at our house all the time. But beyond that, what about the things I need to get done during the day while watching him? What is the balance between caring for him and doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.? How much time should he be entertaining himself versus how much time should I be entertaining him? What is best for him, and reasonable for me?

I am really not sure, but I think I spend more time entertaining him than working on my own agenda. Otherwise, I'd be getting more done. And I think it is okay to take him to Mass at least a few times a week. It's good for me, and it's good for him. Would that hour be better spent playing at our house with toys he is familiar with, or spent playing in the pew? I'd guess the pew.