Why do I love it? Well, I'm so glad you asked.
Actually, the question has come up a few times lately. Here's my answer.
--I only get one shot at this thing called parenting. I'm not out to be my kids' best friend. I say no a lot, but it's WAY more fun to say yes. I want to live with no regrets!
--I want my kids to look back on their childhood and on our home and remember that we had FUN together. That we played games, and acted silly, and made up crazy names for each other, and that dinnertime always always ended with jokes about bodily noises, and that we slept on the trampoline, and played freeze tag in the backyard, and watched movies outside and made s'mores even when we weren't camping. And that we laughed. A lot.
--I L-O-V-E summer. I love making it feel fun and different and celebratory for my family. I love celebrating ordinary days in special ways. It's a big part of who I am.
I'm not a perfect mom.
I'm not always fun.
I'm not always fun.
I lose my patience. And my temper.
I get frustrated.
I react. And over-react.
I yell.
I complain.
I feel sorry for myself.
But when my head hits my pillow at night, I am completely overwhelmed with love and gratitude for my family. They are a gift that I've been given and I desire to do everything I can to celebrate these people and the gift that they are to me. And that is why I do what I do.
15 comments:
Though not a Mom in an official sense, I do enjoy considering myself as a surrogate Mom at times of my student workers. Although there isn't a shortage of work, I endeavor to make the job fun... Think my returning students might just be a testimony to creating a team that is a joy to be with.
That's great, Mer. I have the same intent, but am not as good at the follow through with the special-ness all the time. Thanks for the encouragement to keep that goal out in front of me!
And this is what I think makes you a fantastic, Mom!!! :)
I, too, want to thank you for the encouragement. I fall short in so many ways, but I, too, want to make this a haven for my children...and God willing, their children.
oh me too and i think you have some of the best family ideas. i love that you slept on the trampoline. i'm not going to tell my kids about it though.
Great post, Mer!!
thanks for the reminder that i need to be a yes mom whenever reasonably possible.
today i was a yes mom. the girls asked if we could have lunch at olive garden since we haven't had a lunch date yet this summer. i said yes. my treat!
Great post! I've been purposeful about making this a fun summer and I think I've done that. It's certainly helped to not be pregnant or have an infant! :)
Your post reminds me of my favorite saying:
"Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present"
:)
You've helped me be more of a "yes" mom, and my kids thank you.
Meredith, I LOVED this post! Thank you for sharing your heart! Would you be willing to let me borrow this down the road? I'd love to share it with my readers on a "Thought it Through Thursday."
You're a super FunMom! :)
Leslie
Very well said. I thought you would appreciate this quote - it is my favorite.
"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."
--Jacqueline Kennedy
Great post! We need to cheer each other and ourselves on! This is hard but rewarding work!
You are invited to Of Such is the Kingdom's first birthday party! We're looking back at old posts and giving away daily prizes. Come on over for some fun!
suchakingdom.blogspot.com
This is my favorite post of the week! I'm with CPQ - you inspire me to say "yes" to my kids more and "no" to others. <3
You've just summed up one of the reasons I just adore you. I think you're a GREAT mom and I've learned a ton from you. And yet, you're not intimidating because you're REAL. I love that about you.
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