Then days like today, I think "Gosh, this is exactly what I imagined. Thank you God for these moments!"
Let me explain.
Today, Jillian, David, and I had a lunch date with a good friend of mine. She brought along her daughter who is about 3-1/2 years older than Jillian. Our lunch was fun, and we decided to move the party to their house. We spent the next 3 hours watching the baby, letting the kids get incredibly dirty outside, and having a good time talking. By the time we needed to leave, Jillian was way past the point of needing to nap. {I'll admit that I was being a little selfish in trying to stay a little longer every time I thought she might be tired.} As I made the attempt to get our stuff together, Jillian was in mega-meltdown mode. Nothing made her happy. She was doing a little tantrum dance by stomping on the floor repeatedly. She cried and cried and cried until we were pulling out of the driveway. On the way home, she kept asking if she could have a snack, or this, or that. As I pulled into the driveway, I realized I hadn't heard her voice in a little while. I parked the car, and jumped out. I peered inside to see that both of my babies were fast asleep. I went inside to turn off our house alarm, and went to take the kids inside one at a time. As I opened the door to Jillian side of the car, I felt the heat from the afternoon hit my face along with a familiar smell.
That smell, the one of heat and sweat? That is exactly what I imagined motherhood would be like. I can still remember that smell from the point of view of the child in the backseat who is completely exhausted yet happy from playing hard. It was in that moment that I smiled from ear to ear, and then again in my heart.
The days that we want to quit, or we think we're doing a horrible job as a mother, can feel like they outnumber the good days. Trust me, the things your kids will remember is how they felt. If they're lucky, they'll remember the smell of heat and sweat, and it will make them smile :)
No comments:
Post a Comment