I take parenting very seriously. It can't be a part-time job or a hobby. It is sometimes hard and maybe inconvenient or when I don't feel like it but I believe that every moment that passes should have some value in one way or another. I love the mornings I sneak three different fruits into their healthy cereal. I crave the nights they ask to hear the chosen story again, again, again. I adore the moments of random sweetness when they need to hug you...and I never take an unsolicited "I love you" for granted. Every moment of everyday is a chance to make them the best person they can be today as well as tomorrow. That means a balance of push and pull, inspired and natural experiences, calm and busy. There are days that I know I have done the best that I can do. I take them in and soak them up and use them to inspire the days that are tricky.
This summer we belong to a pool. I purchased the floats and toys and masks. You can bring a kid to water but you can't make him swim...or can you? Only a few weeks later I am watching my two little fishies swim about. The big one is getting quite confident as she does handstands and flips under water but more importantly as she does fun jumps into the deep end and can swim to where she feels safe again. My little guy is swimming underwater and coming up with quarters and toypedoes. I watch with amazement as I realize we have all had a wonderful accomplishment.
I will continue to buy books that brush up their skills. I will always look for the healthy alternative and find ways to sneak exercise into everyday fun. I will watch as their brains and personalities swell. I will pat myself on the back for the nights I can reflect on a day full of wonder. The ones where we can reflect on the new butterflies that hatched or the new flowers that bloomed. Maybe some new artwork was hung up on the walls of our home to brighten the darker moments. I know that this will all go by way too quickly. I will savor. I will learn with them. They teach me lessons as well. But when I say I'm a mother it is a job that I value more than any other and I will know that I did my best at making it count. I mess up. I lose patience. I allow late nights and junk food from time to time. Sometimes we snuggle too long and have to make up for lost time. Sometimes the laundry and cleaning steals time from them. So I practice. It's been almost ten years and I don't think a single day has gone by when I haven't learned something. Each day is a day to be better, do better, love better.
We mark the wall with lines and dates as we measure how their bodies grow. We capture moments of wonder with photographs. Colorful doodles from each stage of growth adorn my every space. I never let a day go by without them being taught something...and I don't let a day go by that I do not learn as well.
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