Simple moments carry the heaviest price tag. In fact, they are priceless.
More than likely, the simple moments you share with your children will be the ones that define their childhood. It is easy to lose that perspective when I open my Facebook news feed and read about all of the exciting adventures other moms and their kids have shared. My family is on a tight budget, and honestly I can barely get my kids out the door before 11:00 a.m. It’s hard not to feel guilty that I am robbing my children of other excitement.
I feel guilty that I am only offering the children “simple moments”, until I see:
- How excited my daughter becomes as she collects acorns in the fall, or feeds the ducks in the pond while we take a walk.
- My four-year-old say, “Mama I help you,” because I will let her sprinkle cheese on the quesadillas I am making for dinner.
- Both children fill up buckets with seashells and beach glass at our visit to the beach.
The simple moments don’t seem like much, but at the end of the day we all feel peaceful. Our day was filled with activities that brought us laughter and joy. These tiny moments could have included making a tent out of pillows or painting rocks from my child’s rock collection.
We give so much as moms, don’t we? I feel like I am constantly moving and doing and trying to keep up–and wondering what in the world I am accomplishing each day.
Most days I feel like I have cleaned my kitchen 400 times. And the laundry? Let’s not even talk about that. But in the midst of these chores, I snuggled with my kids on the couch, read countless stories, and made ice cream sundaes out of Play-Doh. My children are happy and content. And in the end, it’s me they want, not necessarily a new toy or a new gadget. My four-year-old wants to make up “adventures” with me or play dress up, or push her on the swing at the park.
May I encourage you, dear mom? Any moment you are spending with your child is a special one. It doesn’t have to have a price tag attached to it.
In fact, those free moments are the most valuable. Don’t let the expectations of others or what’s being posted on social media be the yardstick you use to measure your value as a mother. When your child looks up at you at the end of the day and just wants YOU, nothing can replace that. These are the moments that are shaping them, providing them with security, and forming their identity. The time you spend and the words you speak secure your children’s hearts with the affirmation they need to conquer the world.
Keep at it, my friend. The simplest things matter the most.
