Motherhood...one of the greatest blessings in this life. Do you remember the moment you learned you were going to be a mom? I do and the memory is one that will never leave me. Fast forward nearly six years since I became a mommy and what a different woman I am today. Motherhood has challenged me and grown me in ways I never thought possible. It has taught me to slow down when the world tells me to speed up. It has taught me that even on the worst of days I can still find joy through their hugs and kisses and silly games. We are given the chance as parents to in many ways become children again and not always take life so seriously. What a gift!
Why then do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be more and do more and thus lose sight of this gift? Why do we feel like we never quite add up when God knows we are all trying our best? Shouldn't our floors be sparkling, our family be color coordinating on Sunday mornings and our kids be excelling in school? The short answer is NO! A good mother isn't perfect in any way shape or form and doesn't have to "have it all together" (whatever that really means anyways). A good mother is present and knows when to give herself grace. Our kids don't want a cookie cutter life or perfect parents. They just want US.
I can't tell you how many sweet memories with my kids have been spontaneous and unorchestrated. They didn't involve some cute Pinterest craft (as much as I love those) or some perfectly warm sunny afternoon at the park. They have been those times my little girl has asked me to play grocery store or Barbie dolls with her or my son has wanted me to chase him around the kitchen or to play horsey. They have been the times I get an extra big squeeze or an unexpected "I love you." They have been those extra long mornings in our pjs where we just took the morning slow and watched cartoons while snuggling on the couch.
You see, one of the best lessons I have learned as a mother is to slow down and just let life flow sometimes. This, coming from a chronic planner has been hard to learn but a very valuable lesson in raising kids. Schedules are great but what kids also really benefit from in my experience is unstructured time with us. Time where they can just play whatever their hearts and minds dream up and time where we join them in play or slow down enough to just sit there and watch. Those are the moments I love and remember the most.
This pandemic we were thrown in has been extremely hard but in a way it has been a blessing because it stopped me in my tracks and forced me to just be still. It's funny isn't it how hard times can teach us to appreciate life more than we ever did before? No one wants to go through the valleys and hard times in life but they always help teach us something. These past few weeks I have been able to spend every waking hour at home with my babies. Though it has come with it's struggles and it has felt isolating at times it has also been such a sweet time. With no where to go and no one to see it has allowed me to savor and make precious memories with my little ones that would probably not happen as much if I was on the go.
So now I am more determined than ever to make the time to slow down even when life gets back to normal. The days are long but the years are short and our babies are growing up (cue the tears). So, let's commit to getting off of this hectic rollercoaster together as much as we can to make more memories with our babies while they are still little.
~Laura
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