It’s been a good several weeks since I have written a blog and the reason is that we were in the middle of a move. We sold our home in Michigan, moved to Maryland, and we are finally settling into this new place and new life. My kids have been complaining that I haven\’t spent personal time with them because of the move, and they are right. As I thought about their complaint, it also got me thinking about how I sometimes forget to cherish moments with my children. As a stay-at-home mom, I am with them all day, and my focus is on the daily moments from dawn to dusk. I wake up knowing I need to get them brushed, dressed, fed, entertained, rested, bathed, fed again, and it goes on.
Sometimes, we need to break out of that cycle and make time to cherish our children by spending quality time with them and enjoying who they are. My little ones will no longer be little, and the ability to sweep them up in my arm, place them onto my lap, throw them up in the air and swing them around for fun, chase after their little feet, listen to their baby talk, and watch their imaginative play will all pass away. With these recent thoughts in my head, I find myself cuddling with my youngest one, soaking in his littleness, enjoying his giggles, experiencing his warmness, and finding joy in holding and carrying him. Furthermore, I have been trying hard to display patience with my older one and offer a listening ear and reasoning dialogue before jumping into a yelling session. I have been trying harder to be a good listener and hear them out when they are chatty because they will grow older and have lesser to share with me one day. These are just a few ways I have been trying to be intentional in my relationship with them, but there is far more I can do for them.
I’ve shared this so many times in my blog – parenting is hard. We are pushed and pulled on in so many ways, and it\’s ok to let those days slide. If we pause and think on most other days about what we do to create moments that matter, it is often the essentials – caring for their daily needs. It is still significant and relevant, but if you can make a few minutes to engage differently and experience your child, you are making a memory for yourself. And here\’s the catch – it can be a meer 10-minute tickle monster attack on the floor that should do the trick for a day or pausing to give that hug when your kid asks for it for no reason while you are in the middle of getting dinner prepared
To cherish our children, we need to indulge in the ways they seek your attention, soak up those experiences you can make that can only happen at this age, and intentionally make some extra time to make a lasting memory for yourself.
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