There are many times throughout our lives when we realize things too late. Time passes by and we simply miss out. As mothers we are often looking ahead and longing for our children’s next milestone, instead of embracing their moments of today. Most of the time we begin our days wishing for them already to be at their end.
Sadly I know all of this to be true because I’ve done all of these things. I realized too late that choices I had made caused me to miss out on my children’s early childhood. When my little blessings got into everything trying to make my days special, I chose to long for the day when they could clean up their own “messes” instead of gathering them up in my arms and smothering them with hugs and kisses.
I can’t even count the days that my children were barely out of bed and I was already looking at the clock to see how long it was until bedtime again.
As my children have grown up, I’ve found different things to keep me busy throughout my days. After all, once they could get dressed on their own, help with the dishes and laundry and clean their own room, I had time on my hands that I needed to fill. I’ve found that as my children become more independent that I struggle to know what to do with the extra time I have each day. I’ve been so used to having my days filled to the brim with things that needed to be done that I don’t handle not being busy well.
Yet, because of the missed moments from my children’s early childhood and the lessons I learned from those early days of motherhood, I’ve stopped filling my days and instead I’m emptying my plates.
I don’t need to add to my daily to-do list or create another checklist. I need to sit down with my children and read their daily lessons with them. Not because they need me to alternate reading paragraphs with them like they did when they were young, but because I want to enjoy these last moments with them. One day very soon they will not want to snuggle up next to me on the couch and read their English lessons together. Before I know it they will be ready to grab their computers, textbooks and homeschool resources crawl onto their bed and complete their entire day’s lessons without wanting or needing my help at all.
By emptying my plates of all the unnecessary responsibilities, commitments and opportunities I’ve embraced over the years, I’m filling my heart and mind with countless memories that I will forever hold dear.
[Tweet “Full plates equal full days, but empty plates equal full hearts. @yrroundhomeschl #ishnet”]
