“You will never be this loved again. So on those days when you are feeling stressed out, touched out, and depleted, just remember that you will never be this loved again. One day you will long for their affection. So choose a soft voice, choose gentle hands, choose love.” –AK
I’m not sure who “AK” is, but I really love the quote above. My daughter is almost five and my son is two-years-old, and most days I feel like we are in survival mode or I’m internally counting down until bedtime. I love them both dearly — so, so much!!! But this age has no boundaries. The needs, demands, and touching are endless. But there are so many sweet moments that I lock away because I know this stage won’t last forever. Nights when my son rubs my cheeks and looks into my eyes with a sparkle as I sing him to sleep. Days when my daughter curls up on my lap and asks me to scratch her back while she twists my hair around her long fingers.
Like a photograph, I take a mental picture so I remember them for a lifetime. Because in those moments I want to capture the love I feel — their insistent cuddling, the repetition of “Mommy, mommy!” and the way they dive into my arms after only a few hours apart (because to them it seems like forever)! I want to remember their laughter during their favorite show, the faces they make when they try a new food, and the excitement they feel after taking a risk!
I love them more and more every day, and I know that the hard parts of parenting them will never go away — it will simply change!
A recent article on HuffPost reminded me that though raising young kids can be all-consuming and exhausting, there are still difficulties as they grow older. Author Lisa Leshaw said: “I am struggling to separate and allow you to test your wings. I am afraid I already know that you can fly. I am scared to death that you will fly far away, and never want to nest again. I guess I want you to stay on the ground for a little while longer.”
One day our kids will be ready to fly away, and all we will have left are our mental snapshots. So on those days when you don’t want to hear your name called again and all you seem to be doing is cleaning up messes or correcting difficult behaviors, remember you will miss this! Choose love and gentleness so you can look back fondly on these days.
Tell us in the comments what moments YOU want to remember as your kids grow?
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