This thought hit me at the most random time yesterday, IKEA of all places. I was walking around with my kiddos picking up a few items just enjoying their presence & thought, "Years from now when they are all grown up, how are they going to look back on their childhood? How are they going to remember their mother while growing up?". This may seem like an odd question, but it really had me stop & evaluate/check myself. I think this is a good thing for all of us to stop & do from time to time. It is SO easy to get caught up in life & the stresses it tries to throw at us daily. It is so easy to go day to day just meeting the very basic needs of our kiddos without really stopping to invest, enjoy every moment, & really stop & spend the time to talk/play/discover with our children.
Are your kiddos going to look back & remember 1 of their parents as constantly working & never really being around? Will they remember their parent as constantly putting other things before them like cleaning, errands, talking on the phone, watching television, or being on the internet instead of dedicating a lot of time to really & truly being present? Is your child going to remember a parent as being a screamer, impatient, or not tolerant of mistakes being made? Or is your child going to look back & see a parent who in a second would drop everything to wrestle with them on the floor, play Barbies, let them sit in their lap & read a book, or a parent who took the time to really stop & talk/listen to them? Will they remember their home as being stressful & willed with constant bickering between their parents or a safe place filled with love, mercy, joy, & grace? Will they have have memories of family dinners, family walks, movie nights, game nights, or any other fun traditions that helped to mold the family unit? Will they remember their parents as being their "friends" who constantly told them what they wanted to hear or 2 people that loved them very much but steered them back in the right direction when needed?
I think we all need to stop & evaluate ourselves from time to time just to make sure our prioritizes stay in check. It is so easy to get caught up in life & forget what/who really matters. Take the time to hug your kids & play with them, they won't be lil' forever & we will miss these days! We have been given such a huge responsibility & honor of raising future members of society.
-M&M Momma
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| Spotted on FB |
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| Special time with Austin! |
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| These kids are SO fast! |
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| Bubbles= Pure joy |
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| 1 on 1 with Asher building |
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She took the workshop
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Good point. What you think is important and what the ones you love think is important aren't always the same thing. You could kill yourself "loving" someone by working hard but it won't mean much if that's not what makes them feel loved. It's like "The Five Love Languages" for kids.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely.
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