Raising Children & All That Comes With It...

When we first get pregnant or start planning a family we are filled with beautiful images of our perfect baby forming that will bring us such joy. Our baby will smile, coo, sleep soundly, and be utter joy at all times. Of course this is true to some extent, but those moments are thrown in with some not so picturesque ones as well. Over tired, exhausted, pj wearing (or yoga pant wearing for some) parents (but let's be honest mostly mama's). Between the initial long nights of feedings & comforting to the rambunctious destructive two's and beyond we see awesome, inspiring reasons in our children of why we put up with what we do everyday.

We see big wet kisses, which to others might seem like a good reason to run away, cuddles in bed with books, those sweet words first uttered of "I love you mommy", the first time they don't spit out that meal you just pulled together, the first time they say 'please' & 'thank you' on their own without any prompting, and well the list goes on. There are countless moments of joy that are like utter sunshine to our days. Those moments inspire us to keep on going, make us prouder over our little ones than anyone else. No matter what.

I write this not as a way of sharing what I've encountered or learned so far as a mother but more as a mother after a long week who is needing a reminder. Sometimes we can get so caught up in our everyday routines, attempts at making our children 'perfect' (hahahaha...) that we need a reminder that among-st all the laundry, pulled apart cupboards, disastrous messes that infiltrate every nook and cranny of our homes, our inability to keep up with every single task in the home, and that after a week of sick kids and chaos that there is a light at the end of what sometimes seems like a never-ending tunnel.

One day these moments will pass, they will be gone forever, they will be a memory of the past. The cuddles, the sweet 'I love you's.', hugs that heal scraped knees, and tickles that make even a normal everyday day suddenly ridiculously amazing...all those moments that make up my today's will be gone and I'll be starring at grown children. Scary thought to think that they'll be big and grown, and yet so exciting. They'll make their own paths, make mistakes  discover their passions & dreams, start their lives and hopefully something of what I've taught them will stick in their minds, and influence their decisions and help them navigate on their own. So after a long week, and with the knowledge that many more long weeks are coming I breathe in and out and look forward to dirty floors, wiping sick noses, and snuggles...because before long these long weeks will be just a distant memory.

Liz