Mommy-hood - My time, my days

I don’t want to be one of those people who looks back on the earlier days of mommy-hood and wistfully says, ‘I thought what I had to do with my days, my time, my energies were so important that I shoved my kids aside in favour of the things I wanted to accomplish…’ I’d like to realize that now, and willinginly give my time and attentions to the brood of kids that gather around me throughout my days. I was just raking leaves outside with Timo while waiting for his bus. I realized that every day I will have to take a few minutes of my day – my time – and do nothing but wait for his bus. I could ignore Timo while doing this and read a book instead. I could talk on the phone and try to keep him occupied while we wait. Or I can take up the rake, the crayon, or the little hand that still willingly holds mine and give him my full attention and time, and I can choose to reject all the other things calling for my attention. I just hope I do this more each day, and that slowly I won’t even recognize that I’m giving anything up, but that the greater joy, greater calling I have is a much better use of my time than even something as noble as folding the next pile of laundry. Yes, these other things need to get done, and in my case with ever increasing dilligence! But they don’t need to be in the forefront of my mind when a precious 5 year-old is willing to rake leaves alongside me (and in that case, also doing productive labour)! I hope to cherish these few years and times I have with my kids, so that I won’t be looking back, regretting that somehow the computer, the supper, the laundry, the phonecall, the clutter, the need to pick up, the schedule – that all these were somehow more important than looking into the darling faces of my children and willingly giving them myself – my attention, love, time, nurture, care and companionship.