I love being a mom. It fits me. Last night Barry and I were talking about how much fun we’re both having with Maggie these days and that isn’t to say that we don’t have our rough moments, because, hey, we’ve got an almost 2 year old, so we definitely have our fair share of moments. But Maggie is just so dang fun and funny right now that it is so hard not to want to smother her with kisses and high-fives for every smart thing she does.
I’ve found that Maggie really, really loves to help in whatever we’re doing, whether it be making the bed, rolling dough, putting on new sheets or even grocery shopping. She gets so much satisfaction from being a part of our lives, it’s hard to deny her that. I catch myself feeling frustrated at how slow things go sometimes, but then I really, really look at Maggie and see what she gets from being included.
For example, I was making a grocery shopping list and she wanted to write on it too, so I passed the pen to her and went to load the dishes in the dishwasher. While I was clanging around in the kitchen I remembered that I forgot to add apples to the list. So I asked Maggie, who was busy scribbling on my list, to add apples. She made a quick scribble and I went on my way.
It wasn’t until later in the morning, when we were packing up to go to the store, that I said I needed to get my list and Maggie chased after me yelling ‘Apples! Apples!’ because she has a mind like a steel-trap and didn’t want me to forget that she’d added it.
By the time we made it to the store, she was SO HAPPY to put the apples into the cart.
There is a huge part of parenting that is utterly exhausting. I still dearly miss my sleep and every so often I wonder what our house would look like if all the smudges were cleaned off the windows and walls, but really being a mom is the best.
I’m always surprised when I hear parents complain – really, really complain – about their kids. It makes me sad for the kid and it makes me sad for the parent. Because these last two years have gone so quickly, and I don’t expect time to slow down, I really believe that this is just a season of my life.
As the old adage goes, time flies when you’re having fun. And I’m having fun. I’m choosing to have fun, even during those moments that really aren’t supposed to be fun.
