Raising young humans makes you want to pull your hair sometimes, and I think we can all agree that parenting is full of emotional roller coasters moving on up and down bumps, taking sharp turns with jagged edges. Mom life has a host of challenges that seem never-ending. BUT It’s the sweet little moments like seeing your children smile and laugh that make it all worthwhile.
Let me share one of my little moments.
I was doing a little solo meal prep in the kitchen when my son asked me to help. He came to me wildly bouncing off the walls like a ping pong ball while playing one of his books on audible very loudly after shooting hoops on the back of his closet door.
I was feeling tired, annoyed, and hangry and admittedly I wanted to say no, go play something in your room but this time I didn’t. I took a deep breath. I ended up giving him a few tasks in the kitchen to keep him busy and next thing I knew we were in the kitchen meal prepping together.
What was supposed to be a quick prep for dinner turned into us dancing and singing as Alexa played “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire and a host of other classic songs.
There were so many reasons why I loved this moment; there was genuine happiness. No preteen attitude. No complaining or rolling of the eyes, no rushing through the activity with the hope and anticipation of playing Fortnite. Just him and I dancing and having fun together. Our enjoyment together enhanced our meal prepping experience as the smell of fresh cut seasoned peppers filled the air.
After our mini kitchen party, I was in heavy thought feeling both sad and guilty. I realize that all too often I can get caught up in the hustle of everyday life. I get swamped and drowned in the daily demands, projects, and deadlines that life requires, and I forget to be present. Specifically, with him. I try to remember that these little moments are only a phase and one day I’m going to wake up and he’ll be on the next phase of life with wanting very little to do with me (Have a glass of wine for all of us gearing up for the teen stage!).
I’m no pro at this mom thing and I could write a book documenting the mistakes I’ve made as a mom, but I can share (from previous mistakes) some things to do to create more of the little moments:
Tip #1: Let em rant.
If you’re a parent of a child with ADHD/Autism or one that has the gift of gab, this can be tricky aka hard as hell. If you begin talking with my child, he will give you endless insight into the subject and then some. Weirdly enough, the joy he gets when he’s allowed to talk to no end makes me happy. Allowing him to share his victories in Fortnite or how he traded for the strongest Pokémon card helps to create shared moments between us.
Tip #2: Projects, games, and activities
Being a mom is a FULL TIME JOB, whether you’re a stay-at-home momma or a momma who works outside the home there is so much to balance on a daily. When I get home, playing a game, doing a project or a kid friendly activity is one of the last things I want to do. So, something that has helped is to schedule time and set a reminder. Sounds weird to schedule time with your own kid, right? But when life gets to Life-ing, I get to autopilot. One way to combat this is to schedule uninterrupted time even if it’s a quick game of uno or a talk before bed.
Lastly, enjoy the moments organically. Find a little humor and joy in the everyday moments even the frustrating annoying ones and as we know, there are lots of these. Little moments can come in the form of cooking together or putting on a playlist to enjoy. Something that I had to learn is that it doesn’t have to be deep, planned or even a picture-perfect Kodak moment. The only requirement is a mom trying her best in that moment. That’s it, that’s all folks!
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