The house is quiet. As I sit alone in the kitchen sipping my steaming coffee, I wonder how many more moments I have before the sound of little voices fill the halls.
The day will begin when they emerge from their cozy beds, sleepy eyed and hungry. Needy and hopefully happy; eager to try new things, and play favorite games. Busy little people with enormous agendas to fill my hours with innumerable opportunities to be in the moment. Full of exuberance and excitement. Ready to smile and laugh, sing and snuggle, play and explore their day away!
Today is just a Monday. Nothing altogether too important about it, but it may be one of those days that my children will always remember. We all have random memories from our childhood… a moment, a day, something that stuck with us. I hope that today and tomorrow and everyday for the rest of their young lives, I can give them something to remember. Some moment of my day where I am undistracted, fully present in their experience, offering them my love and undivided attention.
When they were babies and toddlers, it was inevitable that they received undivided attention. I had to watch them, chase them, help them, and care for them every second of the day. Now that they are a bit more independent I need to remind myself to take the time to play with them in order to maintain the same level of connection.
Every stage with children passes so quickly. Though some feel endless, like the “No!” stage (1-2yrs) or the “Why?” stage (2-3yrs), the challenging stage (3-4yrs), the defiant stage (5-7yrs), etc… etc… In the long run each and every phase they go through will be over before you know it. So for today, I will remind myself to pay attention to the moments that make up their day. To cherish the sweetness and the giggles, to honor their process while they navigate this complex existence. I, as parents do, tend to spend a lot of time correcting, instilling, and disciplining. Today (and everyday really) I’d like to balance all that necessary rearing with simply enjoying my kids. Allowing them to be who they are and to feel special and acknowledged for that, because they really are amazing and I don’t want to miss a moment! J
Love.
A gift of an ordinary day....one of my goals to remember those days as much as the "eventful" ones....
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to one of my favorite posts and I keep it in my "reality check" folder on my computer.
Have a wonderful day!
http://intentionallykatie.blogspot.com/2010/03/gift-of-ordinary-day.html
This is wonderful. We all need to remind ourselves of this. Thanks, Sara! I love your writing.
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