The past two weeks I've spent in a very small town of western Minnesota. We are here visiting my husband while he is on temporary job assignment. A one bedroom apartment and a two year old makes for very long days.
Enter mom guilt here.
Very long days? No mother should be uttering such words. I should be embracing these two weeks with my child, right? We have two weeks away from all distractions. No play dates. No errands to run. No appointments. No responsibilities. Only thing on the agenda all day everyday is to love this little one and play, play, play. I should be grateful.
Why then is it so hard to spend the entire day playing?
As an adult we are so tied down to our responsibilities and obligations we've taken some of the fun out of everyday. Maybe even all the fun! I'm a planner and live by my lists. If I want to have fun I literally have to pencil it in. And then it starts to feel like its a job as well. "Must spend evening reading book everyone else has been raving about." Check.
At what point in our lives did we lose ourselves in all the other stuff?
Everytime Anna and I get out the giant jug of bubbles we always end up making a mess. She is at the point of independence where she wants to dunk the blow stick and blow her own bubbles. What is my first response? ICK! And I go running for a baby wipe. And then I want to take over the bubble blowing because its much cleaner if I do it. When did the mess become more of a priority than the fun?
I'm in awe of my child as her entire face lights up over a swing at the park. Its a gorgeous day outside. And I have to remind myself to soak up this moment. As I push her she squeals "weee!" And I am thinking "ok what's next, its getting hot out here. Did we put on enough sunblock? (among other thoughts swirling around in my head)" I wish I would just embrace this happy moment instead of constantly reminding myself slow down. Reminding myself to be thankful for all things big and small.
Reminding myself just to sit and be still.
At the end of this summer if you ask me what one word summed it up I would say "bubbles" or "swing". Those two words are yelled out with glee at least once a day at our house. I'm learning to bite my lip when we are covered in soapy bubbles or when Anna has buried herself in dirt from our backyard. She is just being a two year old. She is enjoying the moment of discovery and new adventures. And more importantly I'm outside savoring these moments with her.
And hey, you know what... I'm actually starting to have some fun!
Labels: anna, mommy mondays, mommyhood, simple living
