Let’s get real for a second.
I am a mother with three children, children who are 5 and under. I know there are many of you that can probably relate. I am literally a Barbee girl living in a toddler’s world (see what I did with my last name, well maiden last name that is now hyphenated, but I digress). Boy, do they know when to say the right thing and at the right time.
From the master insults, cue my daughter saying, “Mommy, does your singing hurt your ears, because it hurts mine” and “Mommy, I used my mind to think, and maybe you could use your mind to think” to the “Mommy, I love you” my 3-year-old son brings out just after getting in trouble, toddlers have this natural ability to say something that will melt your heart one minute and have you laughing (or crying) the next. I won’t even dive into the commentary that comes with restroom trips in public!
A few weeks ago we were on vacation (a rare treat for our busy family), and my son went inside the bathroom to “potty.” After a few minutes of silence, and then hearing the sink run longer than it should, I was forced to leave my seat on the comfortable couch to see what chaos my child had drummed up. I opened the door to see salt and pepper all over the sink. My son is shaking it out everywhere and with the water running and spilling everywhere.
Okay, I think to myself. First off, where did the salt and pepper come from and why, and how, and why would you dump it all over the bathroom?!?! Okay, let’s not jump to yelling, Jen. I mean, this could be science right? When he is earning some fancy science degree someday, I will look back at this moment and remember how all of his experiments started with mixing salt and pepper in the sink, on the bathroom floor, all over this beautiful bathroom…
My initial response was, “What was your thought process dumping salt and pepper in the sink?” My son’s immediate response, “I was trying to be good, but it didn’t work.” The honesty in that statement. I mean, can you even be upset at this point? I am trying not to laugh as I store this conversation in my head to share with my husband later.
That is the beauty of children, their innocence and honesty can be so…. refreshing. As mothers, our days can be filled with many stressors. At the end of the day, it helps to be able to look back and remember some of the things our children said or did. Things that put smiles on our faces and allow us to laugh. I often struggle with “living in the moment” because that can be so hard when there are a billion things to do and I can’t seem to get my mind to focus on just one thing. I am trying to make it a point this year to take in more moments, look at those innocent faces, and listen to what they are saying. I have even saved a few of my kiddo’s quotes on my phone so that I can share and remember later.
Momma, it is going to be so hard to remember a lot of the little details of motherhood as the years go by, but reading a quote from your child telling you to use your brain more or asking loudly who smells so bad in the public bathroom will certainly bring a smile to your face and a favorite memory will come to mind.
