Lesson #7
Cherish being needed
I cannot begin counting the number of times I hear, "Mommy!" on a daily basis. The tone and urgency varies, but the desired result is the same. My kids expect me to come running whenever I hear them call my name. To be honest, some days I wish I could mute out that call. It comes in a whiny voice, a demanding voice and even a tearful voice. I get tired of the tattling and the relentless demand for my attention. It can really be exhausting. Coming from three kids, often simultaneously, the call for me to come running never seems to end.
Today I was especially fed up. I had an exhausting day yesterday and no one seemed to be listening to me from the moment they got up. They needed shoes, a referee, their breakfast, their butts wiped. I was exasperated by 7:15 this morning. I found myself so aggravated when Max called me in to the dining room. I expected he needed me to stop Miles from bothering him. But when I came in, I realized that he wanted to show me the huge Lego project he just finished. I immediately felt terrible for being so annoyed by all of the "mommy" calls this morning.
I am trying to make a concerted effort to stop and think every time I start getting irritated by the beckoning calls. When I really take a moment to think about it, I get a little sad knowing that I won't always be needed in this way. Right now, I am the one they want and the one they need for every little thing. But in just a matter of years, I will be lucky if they even want to tell me about what happened at school. This has been a huge "ah-ha" moment for me. I hope I can keep this perspective, especially in the most trying of times with my kids.
Cherish being needed
I cannot begin counting the number of times I hear, "Mommy!" on a daily basis. The tone and urgency varies, but the desired result is the same. My kids expect me to come running whenever I hear them call my name. To be honest, some days I wish I could mute out that call. It comes in a whiny voice, a demanding voice and even a tearful voice. I get tired of the tattling and the relentless demand for my attention. It can really be exhausting. Coming from three kids, often simultaneously, the call for me to come running never seems to end.
Today I was especially fed up. I had an exhausting day yesterday and no one seemed to be listening to me from the moment they got up. They needed shoes, a referee, their breakfast, their butts wiped. I was exasperated by 7:15 this morning. I found myself so aggravated when Max called me in to the dining room. I expected he needed me to stop Miles from bothering him. But when I came in, I realized that he wanted to show me the huge Lego project he just finished. I immediately felt terrible for being so annoyed by all of the "mommy" calls this morning.
I am trying to make a concerted effort to stop and think every time I start getting irritated by the beckoning calls. When I really take a moment to think about it, I get a little sad knowing that I won't always be needed in this way. Right now, I am the one they want and the one they need for every little thing. But in just a matter of years, I will be lucky if they even want to tell me about what happened at school. This has been a huge "ah-ha" moment for me. I hope I can keep this perspective, especially in the most trying of times with my kids.
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