When I was pregnant with our second child, I swore up and down that each week I would do one-on-one dates with of our children. Of course I wanted us to have family times and those memories, but I also knew how important it was for each child to get that special one-on-one time with both Mom and Dad, and each individually. Selfishly, I wanted to have extra special moments with my kids that were all to myself. But, then our son was born and the chaos and hustle-and-bustle of having two children under two set in. You moms of multiple children know what I'm talking about. And if your a stay at home mom, you know exactly how I felt. You're being pulled in way too many directions to count. One needs to be nursed and the other is having an episode because you skipped a page when reading a book. The laundry piles keep growing and you have to make dinner, even though you still have to go grocery shopping. And when you have a "moment", you try to squeeze in a shower or use the bathroom by yourself or finally watching that episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that recorded months ago and you still haven't gotten around to watching it. And finding time to do things one-on-one can be really tricky if your kids are like mine and, for the majority, go down for naps together and sleep at the same time.
I get it. Life gets hectic. And excuses are just that - excuses. I had this vision of how life would go with two. Was it everything I imagined? H-E- double hockey sticks - NO. Is it more beautiful than I could of ever imagined? Forever and ever YES.
Now that I've finally got most of it figured out (when you have kids, I don't think you ever figure it all out), I am trying to make it more of a point to have these moments with my boys. Why? Because they matter. And if you think they don't; you're wrong. There is a window of opportunity a parent has to be present in their child's life to really make an impact. And that moment is now. Your children will come to you for everything; to learn, for guidance, to teach them right from wrong, to accept them, for love and approval. When my three year old comes up and shows me how he "flies" his plane for the 9847376390th time, and I cheer and clap my hands and burst with excitement, I can see in his eyes how he feels. He feels cool, and accepted, and right. That says something. That MEANS something.
Today, the weather in Michigan was beautiful. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze, and it was a warm one, with the temps running in the 80s. We spent all morning at the pediatricians with McKinley and right when we got done, we picked up my dad and he had a doctors appointment. We grabbed a quick lunch on the way; Tubby's - a Michigan classic. When we got there, I realized Mick was sleeping so I opted to stay out in the car and my dad headed inside. I parked the car at the edge of the parking lot and opened up the trunk. I have an SUV and when the third row is down, we have quite a bit of room back there. I unbuckled Easton, took him in the back, grabbed our lunch on the go, and and enjoyed a picnic date with him in the trunk. It was the best! He loved looking at the "cool cars" driving through the parking lot and the birds flying back and forth from the nearby trees to the ground. I pulled out our "restaurant reserved" toys and played with them. We laughed and "talked" and I learned so much from my son in those moments. I could see how happy he was just to have me there, and my undivided attention. I saw first-hand how much he has been improving and how much he's grown. Today was special and I am SO thankful for our time together.
Today, I encourage you to FIND time. MAKE time. STOP making excuses. You don't "need" to take a shower right this moment. It can wait. The laundry doesn't HAVE to be done, stay up an hour later and do it then. Our children are only young once and we only have them at this little stage for a short amount of time. Just like everyone says, someday we will miss these times, so make the most of it!
With encouragement and love!
Xoxo
- Christine
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