There’s so much pressure to find joy with our kids all of the time. And you know what? It’s impossible to cherish every moment of every day. It’s exhausting. And comments like these can often leave me feeling insecure—did I soak them in enough today? Are these years slipping through my fingers? Am I doing something wrong?
I know one day I will miss my kids being so little, so cute, so innocent. But there are some things I won’t miss that come with this phase. In fact, I’m pretty certain I won’t miss 3 a.m. feedings, toddlers pulling coffee cups off counter tops and the whining that comes every day around 4 p.m. I’m simply not capable of loving every part of every day when it comes to raising tiny humans.
But I am capable of soaking in the moments. When the opportunity presents itself, I can say “yes” to a meaningful day with my daughter and “later” to the less important things. I know I won’t get these kinds of chances next year when she starts Kindergarten.
I immersed myself that day at the museum with Violet. I took in the sound of her laugh, the dimple in her cheek and the way she moves her hands when she’s really excited. When I picked up my son from school later that day, I took a mental snapshot at the way he looked at me when I got to his classroom and then proceeded to lay his head on my shoulder and pat me twice on the back—the way he always does when he’s really content. And my sweet babe? I selfishly loved how he smiled only for me during that time.
I know children are precious—that’s a large reason why I keep having them. I know that the rewards outweigh the difficulties, but the difficulties are still present and at times heavy. So, I look for the sweet moments in the chaotic, exhausting and often long days. When I find them, I relish, I rest and I do my best to treasure. And that’s enough.
Midweek moral wrap-up: 1) I believe the cliché that— not every day is good, but there’s good in every day- is largely true. We have to keep our eyes peeled for those moments and sometimes seize opportunities when they present themselves. 2) My friend that I mentioned is not a complainer. I’m not talking about the people who are always complaining. But so often we (me included) offer well-meaning advice when someone just needs some encouragement or in this case, just someone to laugh with us.
This article originally appeared at News Anchor to Homemaker.
