Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Making the Right Choice

I sat down to write, when I heard her voice.  "Mommy? I want to read a book."  Okay, I muttered, and turned off the computer.

We sat on the floor, her in my lap and Andrew hanging off of my shirt and giving my cheeks sloppy kisses.  I read a few pages and asked a few questions.  I thought about the laundry that needed switching and the dishes that needed washing. I remembered the post I was writing and the blogs I had been reading.  My mind was whirling with what I thought needed to be done.  Until I pressed pause.

I thought about the beautiful girl and boy that needed some loving.



Suddenly, the to-do list was significantly shorter and my attention span considerably longer.

I continued sitting and reading until we had finished all our favorite stories.   Pushing myself onto my knees, I started chasing them in and out of rooms. They ran (or, in Andrew's case, crawled), giggling and screaming.

I threw them on my bed and started bouncing their lithe, little bodies.  Tumbling, they laughed and shouted.  Happy to have their mom's attention.

Crumpling with exhaustion, I fell on the bed.  Soon they were jumping on the bed and on me.

And then they were laying their sweet heads in the nook of my arm, each of us staring at the ceiling; our chests heaving, mouths smiling, and eyes closing.

Later on, while placing them in their cribs, I smiled.  Their angelic faces, so composed in a restful state, reminded me of why I am here.  Why I am a mother.



And with the kids napping, I turned on the computer.  This time in good spirits; this time without competition; this time with a kid-induced smile on my face.

12 comments:

  1. Oooh, I love that phrase "kid-induced smile". Very creative. It's nice to have those kind of smiles during the day!

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  2. I love this, Amber, and so relate ... I often shut the computer with a sigh of frustration only to be reminded moments later of what the whole entire point is.

    Have I mentioned how JEALOUS I am of Emily's red hair!!!????!?!?!

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  3. I know. It's totally different, isn't it? Two kinds of exhaustion: the one from pushing the kids away so I can attend to MY thing, the other from pouring myself into motherhood then pouring myself into myself when they've found their moment to engage elsewhere.

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  4. We all have those moments - sometimes you just have to let it all go, leave the dishes and the laundry and definitely the computer (the hardest of all I think!) and just go and play. I try to remind myself that soon enough I will be the very last person my daughter wants to hang out with.



    Now, apparently we are going to make cookies - which means lots of mess but lots of fun too.

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  5. Oh, Amber, enjoy each and every moment. The time passes so quickly. All the other stuff can wait. (And, by the way, they are absolutely adorable ; )

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  6. I love that moment when you force your brain to pause ... and it actually works.

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  7. Oh I love this. I need more days like this.

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  8. Yes! Love - and so often need - the mental Force Quit and Restart commands.

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  9. I'm glad you paused and enjoyed the time with them! That last picture is a goood one!!

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  10. I'm impressed. I'm not sure I could've done what you did, without my mind still being in the writing. Being with little ones all day - no matter how much you love them - is hard, hard work.

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  11. Sometimes those moments just seize you. I love that you had this time with your children. I can imagine their belly laughs as you chased them around the house.

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  12. Oh what a heart swelling post! Love it.

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