The weekend is here! I am going to cherish it!

Raising kids with LOVE ♦ July 24, 2014 ♦ 1 Comment

What a great quote for me….remembering to keep my mind present in the moment is often a challenge…but when I am not I miss the gifts of each moment….

Friday is almost here again!  TGIF!  Brad and I have plans to be on a lake with all four of our kids this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. Whenever we plan a family activity there is a bit of work involved. Work has been busier than usual this week and tonight as I thought about going to the grocery, loading the car, and finishing the laundry; for a very brief moment I questioned whether I really felt like going this weekend … but only for a moment.  The years have flown quickly, and I am still trying to be “present” as much as I can in my kids’ lives, and am trying to live and enjoy every moment.  In another couple of years, this season of my life will have passed too.

As I have said before, there are only 940 Saturdays between the birth of a child and that same child leaving for college!  By age four, 208 Saturdays are gone, by ten 520.  I had never thought about time and raising children in those terms when my kids were young.  It does seem that time flies so much more quickly when you look back.  There are moments that seem eternal during parenting (the sleepless nights of infancy, the toddler challenges of potty training, the nights of homework, and challenges of curfew during those teen years) but when put in the time frame of only 940 Saturdays, well the time is so short.

I don’t say this to make you feel like you need to cram more parenting into each of your days, I say this so that you think about being truly “present” for your parenting.  Don’t just go through the motions each day or wish for what will come next; and when you find yourself doing that stop take a breath, and truly be present.  Be present when your child is eating those strained carrots, be present when your toddler is emptying the cupboard in the kitchen, be present when your school aged child is struggling with spelling, be present when your teen shares with you before bed, and be present when you get that 11:00 pm phone call or text from your college aged child.  Every stage, every challenge, every moment of chaos, every precious moment of family time is brief and fleeting.  If you are not truly present, the moments will be gone.

There is no magic way to slow down time (I wish there was), so just concentrate on this Saturday…one of those 940 Saturdays.  Don’t just go through the motions, but be present for every moment with your child.  I am going to be present this weekend with my “adult” kids and husband…and I will tuck this moment away with all the other moments I cherish.  Parenting is awesome each and every day. And by the way, every one of my kids are past those 940 Saturdays between birth and college…so I feel totally blessed to continue to be present in their lives…every moment we have as a family together is a gift.  So, no matter whether it is your 10th Saturday, 940th Saturday, or like me your 1,460th Saturday as a parent,  build your relationships and memories starting now,  be present, ENJOY…don’t wish it away.

Take a breath, enjoy the joyful moments of each day, and remember you don’t have to be perfect to be the perfect parent.

Cindy