The Important Thing To Remember On Hard Days

I try to be one of those intentional moms.  I really do.

But some days, I look down at the enigmatic creature I’ve given birth to, and not only wonder at his ways, but also at where I’m supposed to go on from here.  I wonder too much, and too often,

Have I done enough today to teach him what he needs to know?

Have I made him feel special to me, and not like a line on my to-do list?

Have I been gentle enough?  Have I been firm enough?

And so on.

But yet,  in the times we just can’t see eye-to-eye, I need to remember that on the hard days, what I need to do most is enjoy him.  Enjoy him for my own needs, for the reminder that he’s only little for now…but also because that’s the time – building train tracks across the floor, coloring wild abstractions on cars, chasing him through the house, to “get him” with my {tickling} “claws” -  in which I’ll really get to know him.  That the time that will lay the foundation for knowing him all his days, in the way that only his mother can.

So, mama, on the really hard days, just remember this:

You’ll be glad you did.