Tuesday, February 22, 2011

being present

After being a mom for over 17 (yikes!) years now, I have learned a lot of things about mothering.  Some have come from mistakes I've made or mistakes I've seen others make. And of course I've learned a lot from my own  mom:) But I think most of the way I choose to mother comes from instinct.  I haven't learned how to be a mom from any manual or book....it's all straight from my heart. Lately my heart has been telling me to sloooowww down and be present.  
Not just sitting on the floor with the kids while they play, or sitting with them while they read a book out loud.  I'm talking about paying full attention to them.....with no t.v. in the background, no magazine in my hand, no phone close by to check Facebook, no thinking of all the bazillion things that need to be done (laundry, cleaning, dishes, meals, etc.)  I'm talking about listening to them, watching how they interact with each other, memorizing their little ears and toes, and trying to soak it all in. 


I mean, seriously, look how Nash studies this little toy, trying to figure out how it goes.....makes me want to pick him up and squeeze him like crazy!

And I want to watch them make their towers and then see the pride in their face when they are praised....
And I think I'm doing an okay job.  But I am a work in progress.....I have a long ways to go.  After being present for about 5 minutes, thoughts creep into my head of all the things I need to do.  But that instinctive mothering part of my soul is telling me "no"......sit and enjoy your kids and just be with them. And it will always be a struggle, but being present in the moments I share with my kids is the focus of how I want to mother my children.

So I guess I wasn't too "present" when I was cooking Shay his "eggs in a heart" this morning because I never noticed the picture he took of them until I checked my camera later......I love this.


"if there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves" -- C.G. Jung

1 comment:

  1. I think you are a fabulous mother. Your kids are kind, respectful and fun. Those traits didn't come about by chance. Keep up the good work!

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