“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”
Well, I haven't, until I read it on this blog post, Stephanie, from Somewhat Simple is doing a blog swap and wrote the blog entry that I found that quote on.
This quote made me cry, because it is so true, and it is what I do. My 3 girls are ages 8, 5 & 3 and time is flying by, it seems like just yesterday I had a 5, 2 & 8 month old. I don't live in the moment enough. Or I am to busy trying to keep my house clean, or have meals cooked on time that I don't pay attention to the little things....and before you know it the little things will be grown up and moved away. I really wish I could keep all 3 of my girls at the very age they are right now...or atleast slow time way down so it drags on ...when they were babies, I always felt I couldn't wait until they were a little older, so it would be easier, when they could tell me what they wanted or even get it themselves.... people use to tell me how fast they would grow up, but when you are doing 3 - 4 feedings a night it does not seem like it goes fast enough....but it does and POOF they are 8, 5 & 3.
I am very lucky, that I have a career that I can be both home with my kids and working ( out of the home ). As I have said in previous posts, I am School Bus Driver, and I LOVE my job. So I am home every weekday from 9am -2pm, and then home agin in time to make supper! I am home every holiday, my kids are, every PD day, etc.
From now on I am going to slow down and pay more attention to the little things....15 years from now,neither me or my girls are going to remember how clean the house was on such and such day, but we will remember what we did together, playing, laughing, making memories.
I am so very glad that Stephanie did that blog entry, and that I came across it. That I can change it so that it will not be one of my regrets.
She also did a tutorial on how to make this
(I took the pics this summer, my 3 little sets of tootsies)
a nice little reminder, that I am going to print out and frame, and look at everyday, especially those hectic days, that I am so used to saying to the girls " Just go play, Mommy is busy".
