It is 6:17 AM – my normal time to wake up. As usual I still remember my dream but don’t feel it was one worth putting in my dream journal (private in case you were wondering) as I really don’t care to keep it in memory.
A week or so ago an older lady said how cute my kids were and that these were the “best times,” meaning when our kids are young. I’ve been reflecting on that comment for a while because it can sometimes feel like this is the most tiring time. When kids are young they demand constant attention, there is never a moments rest! The entire day is devoted to them and all other activities such as book/magazine reading, going to the gym, taking a quick nap etc become rare luxuries.
I read an article once about young parents not really liking when older people tell them to cherish these moments when the kids are young. It talks about the older people forgetting about how much work and effort is involved and only remembering the positives. This article was in the Huffington Post so of course it was bitchy/moany fluff geared towards women who like to read lists and say – hey that is totally like my situation; I’m not crazy after all because someone wrote it in an article with the same opinion!
As for me, yes I am tired, and I would really like to go to the gym, read books and take naps anytime I want! But when I reflect on these being the best times when raising children, I’m going to go with the elders opinion and constantly remind myself that these are indeed wonderful times.
Everyday for the kids is an adventure and they are excited about everything. They constantly want to play with me and I know this will not be the case as they get older. I imagine that during the teenage years it will be me asking to play with them! If I’m away from them for even an hour or so I miss them terribly and want to return as soon as possible. Just looking at them makes me smile and fills me with joy.
I’ve written a little about this “mindfulness” idea where we should try as hard as possible to quiet the mind and really live in the moment. I think this is extremely important to do when the kids are young, to really appreciate these moments although they may also be exhausting on a daily basis. These moments are limited and will soon be gone forever. Even now I miss the times when my four year old was three, and when he was two, and one, and a baby; and soon I’ll miss when he was four. My youngest is growing very quickly and is a very different baby now than he was six months ago. That baby now only exists in my memory.
In fact, I just need to think of myself one year in the future and I suddenly miss my four year old and baby. This thought makes me want to give them very big hugs as soon as they wake up, before they disappear into older versions of themselves.
Side Note: When were kids we often cannot wait until we become adults so we can do the things we want to do and not have to obey what others are saying all of the time. Then we become adults and we want to go back to being children.
It is similar to young parents wanting their kids to grow and become more independent so that the parent can have some time to themselves. However, once the children grow then the parent often wishes they could go back in time and relive when the children were young.
