Motherhood is hard work – no one is going to argue with that. Between the dish washing and the laundry folding and the diaper changing, it can feel like an endless to-do list. It’s so important that we don’t look at it that way, though.
Lately I’ve been catching myself rushing through moments with my children that seem like meaningless tasks, but they’re so much more than that. At bedtime, I was choosing the books so that we only read two instead of five. At dinner, I was sending my daughter to watch TV so that I could cook in peace. Every single thing I did, I was trying to get done as fast as possible and for no real reason.
After a few weeks of this, I realized I was rushing through important moments and missing out on some really special memories with my babies. I decided to try and look at life differently, especially when it comes to tasks involving my kids.
So I let my three-year-old help me cook. It was a huge mess and there were some tears shed, but I got to see her excitement as she stirred the sauce and her happiness made me happy.
I let her pick out six books to read at bedtime and sang every song she requested. It reminded me that my voice is a gift, and I’m thankful she likes to hear it. I took a break from folding laundry to play Calico Critters for 30 minutes. I watched in wonder as my daughter used her imagination like I’d never seen her do before.
Our lives are becoming so full, and it’s not always full of important stuff. I sometimes feel like if I’m not rushing around getting stuff done, I’m wasting my time.
But busy is not always better.
A lot of our tasks can wait, but time will not slow down. Our babies won’t stop growing. The stage they are in won’t last forever.
So mamas, we need to pause. We need to take a break and stop worrying about all we need to get done. We need to listen when our little ones are begging us to play with them instead of finishing that chore. When they ask for another song, sing it. When they ask for another book, lets read it. I know we hear it all the time, but they really won’t be little forever.
