Between the three little ones, all day I hear some version of,
“Mommy, will you. . .”
While I say my family is my “top priority,” all too often it’s easy for me to get caught up with my “to-do” list: finish my e-mail/blog post, fold the laundry, wash the dishes, clip coupons, make dinner, work on my designs, return phone calls, plan my church lesson, etc. And then my kids get answers like. . .
I’ve been really bad about letting my list busy my day, and then missing the joy of my kids’ creativity and innocence. And I don’t want to be that kind of mom. Not that I’m necessarily the BEST mom, but since I am their mom, I want to be the best I can be and give them my presence rather than just presents. It’s part of my goal to “prosper” this year. Because I don’t want them to remember me as always being too busy.
A wise friend recently reminded me that there will be a day when they won’t want to play with me anymore and that they’ll be too old to think snuggling on the couch and watching cartoons is fun. And that I will miss this.
And really, who are we kidding? My “to-do” list is always LONG and rarely gets checked off. And there is always more work to do. It’s a hard lesson I’m learning, but I’m trying to be better at picking my battles, saying Y-E-S more than N-O, and showing my family that they really are my priorities. I want to be better about adding THEM to my to-do list. More one-on-one time, more snuggles, more silly mommy.
Have you seen the book “Yes Day?” It’s one of my kiddos’ favorites. We had our own “yes day” last week during spring break. More details tomorrow! Have a happy Monday.
Friendly Faces by Jacque Larsen; He Said, She Said quote bubbles by me
I’ve been thinking along the same lines recently…thanks for being honest and challenging me to be a silly mommy too!
Andrea
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Ditto and ditto. When I was in the YW presidency years ago, our president changed our meeting agendas. Instead of to-do agendas like “plan mutual for the month”, “get permission slips for girls camp” and so on, we began having our biweekly meeting agendas about the girls – THEY were the bullet points on the to-do list. It was an amazing (and inspired) approach.
So often I think back on my childhood and remember my mother through 7-year-old Shaela’s eyes and think “I don’t ever want to be that kind of mom”. But now that I am a mom myself, I can see and understand my mother’s perspective back then. I have forgiven a lot because of that. But it doesn’t change the fact that as a child and teenager, when I needed her love and support the most, she wasn’t there for me because she was tired or busy or stressed or working on her own to-do list. She wasn’t the mom I needed. And as much as I said I didn’t want to be that kind of mom… I realize that a lot of days, I AM the kind of mom with a mile-long to-do list whose almost immediate responses are “not right now” or “just a minute” or “hang on”. I need to work on that – and I need to be more aggressive in my approach to change it. Thanks for the reminder.
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