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Children / Motherhood

How do you cherish every moment?

How do you cherish every moment?

Are you like me? When people see you have two very young children and say, “be sure to cherish every moment” do you look back at them through your exhausted eyes and scratch your weary head wondering which moments they mean?

Is it the moment when my toddler is screaming because I refuse to let him eat fruit snacks for dinner? Or maybe it’s the moment when the baby won’t let me put her down for, I dunno, a second? 

Maybe these people are referring to the moments when I just sat my sweet little 2½ year old on the potty as he proclaims he “doesn’t have to go” only to get his fresh pair of skivvies on his tiny little tookus and send him on his way, then have him reappear literally seconds later with a present in said skivvies?

If they aren’t referring to those fun-filled moments then surely they are referring to the sleepless nights, the exhausting days, the running around, the worrying, the tantrums, the tummy bugs, and the never ending diaper changes.

For the record, I love and adore my kids. I promise. It’s just that I have days and sometimes weeks where I know I’m not living in the moment, I’m literally getting through each moment. I have to believe that when people say, “cherish every moment” it’s because someday I will wish I could have these days and weeks back no matter how crazy they were just to be able to smell the top of my baby’s head or laugh out loud after my toddler says something so incredibly funny.

I know I’m not really savoring this amazing time in my life as much as I should and I want to be better about this. I don’t want to let the daily grind desensitize me from cherishing the time I have with my very young children. Of course every day isn’t going to be magical and note worthy but taking inventory of special moments with each of my kids is something I think I can accomplish.

Making a special date with just my son where I don’t have to be telling him not to do this or that, not making him hurry so mommy can get to work on time, and not asking him every 10 minutes if he has to use the potty. Just a special date where we get to have fun with each other, because those truly are the moments I want to cherish.

I also plan on savoring the baby time I have left with my girl… Rocking her to sleep, making her giggle, and having my heart melted with every gummy grin. Sounds like perfection to me!

It is completely unrealistic for me to cherish EVERY moment but I have to say, I can darn well cherish the moments that matter. That’s what it’s all about after all. That and the hokey pokey… or so I’m told.

Do you do a good job about living in the moment or do you also have to remind yourself to slow down and smell the baby?

Kendra is a full-time working mom to a precocious two-year old boy and eight month old baby girl and wife to her long-time sweetheart. At “My Full-Thyme Life (http://myfullthymelife.blogspot.com) she writes about how she attempts to balance her cherished roles and all the fun along the way. 

Kendra Scott
Author: Kendra Scott

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10 Comments

  1. I don’t know if I cherished every moment when my kids were little but I did try. I felt like I was more in survival mode…lack of sleep will do that to you. Biggest advice is to just slow down and smell the roses. Follow their lead. Let them show you their world and not be so caught up in your own deadlines.

    Now that my kids are older, I’m enjoying them and motherhood soooo much more. I don’t know if it’s perspective, the fact I feel like it’s going by too fast (I never felt that way when they were babies) but do feel like I’m cherishing every moment.

    • I like how you mentioned following their lead. I think the times where I do just that are the most fun for both of us!

  2. I love “slow down and smell the baby”!!!! I think we humans are programmed to look back on a previous stage as better than the one we’re in, or at least with longing for the “good ol days.” I do think it’s possible to be appreciating daily life, even when it’s hard, knowing that it won’t always be this way. I won’t always have to pick Munch off the floor to get him in the carseat for Daddy to take him to school, as we did this morning. But, Daddy also won’t always pop his head back in the house to tell me that Munch is repeating “I kiss Mommy” over and over so I run out for another kiss bye-bye.

    Someday, angstful teen Munch may slam out my front door without a look back. And I imagine on that day, I’ll wish I was peeling his tantruming toddler self off the floor.

  3. Hi Kendra, your kids are darling! I often think of the phrase “the days are long but the years are short.” So true of parenting young kids! On days when I don’t feel like my best mom-self, I turn to some of my tried and true stress relievers: long walks, fancy coffee, hot baths, a good audiobook or Pandora playlist, and phone calls with good friends. Hang in there!

    • Thanks, Katie. 🙂 Stress relievers are a biggie with two small kids! You have some lovely ideas!

  4. For me, toddler-hood has been a lot like childbirth.

    After the ridiculously difficult parts pass, they kind of fade. I look back at stuff that happened last week and it feels like it’s kind of a distant memory. When I have tough days (and I have a lot with two 17 months apart) I try to keep in mind that:

    A. it’s such a short time
    B. they have to go to sleep eventually
    C. Tomorrow everything that happened today will literally feel like light years away.

    That’s how Mother Nature tricks us into having more babies.

    I’m sure of it.

    • I LOVE your theory on this! What a great outlook to have and it makes it feel less intense and more manageable. You are so right about tricking us into having more babies. HA! 😉

  5. I feel like the “enjoying every moment” phrase sets us up for an impossible standard. I love how you say to “cherish the moments that matter.” So true.

    And even though I don’t “enjoy” every moment, I think the key is to be thankful for them, even in the more trying moments. i.e. My toddler is driving me crazy– but what is it teaching me about patience and how is parenting them in the difficult moments changing me as a mother and person? How is it changing our children?

    And coffee and chocolate help too 😉 Thanks for your post!

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