“Enjoy your children every day.”
It was a wonderful twist on the often heard, “You’ll miss this one day.” Her advice is something I think about often.
ENJOY them.
The sweet woman’s words were simple but powerful in their simplicity.
Enjoy their imagination and creativity. Enjoy their innocence and curiosity. Enjoy the way they reach out to you for a hug or a hand to hold. Enjoy their off-tune yell-singing in the car. Enjoy the way they drop everything to dance when their favorite song begins to play. Enjoy the artwork they can’t wait to show you with pride in their eyes. Enjoy the snuggles and the cozy bedtime stories. Enjoy the jokes that don’t make sense and the stories that don’t really go anywhere. Enjoy the high-pitched “I love yous.” Enjoy exploring the word through their eyes. Enjoy the enthusiasm that radiates from within when they point out a passing school bus. Enjoy being their safe place.
I think about her words most on the hard days. I think about her gentle encouragement when it feels like I’ve lived 10,000 lives before 9 a.m. I think about her advice when I’m overwhelmed by motherhood because her words encourage me to slow down. They encourage me to take a more simple approach to motherhood.
Enjoying my kids is easy. It’s all of the other stuff that gets in the way of enjoying my kids that’s hard. When I’m struggling to enjoy motherhood, her words remind me to dial things back and be present. When I’m fully present with my kids, enjoying them feels like the most natural thing in the world. Taking the time to enjoy their laughter and the way they play and find joy in the littlest things — A cool rock! A stick! A passing firetruck! — is the easiest way for me to find my way back to happiness in motherhood.
Enjoy them. That’s the easy part. That’s the best part.
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Thank you for this beautiful reminder of how special and fleeting having young children can be 🙂
So sweet. And so true. Thank you for this glimpse into your heart.
This is the sweetest reminder ever, thank you for sharing. Always.
Hi Julie – I wanted to reach out and leave an apology for a long-ago remark I left on one of your posts on a bad day …For some reason, it was on my mind this morning and I need to address it years down the line. I was thoughtless to spread my irritation and also in a public way. It was out of line and I just had jotted it in frustration (over all things – the amount of sugar in a product you recommended as a quick option that billed itself as healthy) but my gripe needed to be with the company, not with you! And most certainly not in a snippy comment that would be something that, if I read it, it would have brought me down and hung in my mind for too long.
I continued to read your posts, keeping you in thoughts through the challenging times, tearing up with your families’ losses and smiling with your joyful photos and uplifting posts. So, all that said, I’m very sorry for leaving a snarky comment on a post not intended to have any divisive thoughts (probably from Palatka days…?)… Have a safe and happy holiday season.
This comment stopped me in my tracks this morning — thank you, Bonnie. My skin has become incredibly thick over the years so please, please know I hold zero grudges. Honestly, I just love that you were so thoughtful and had the desire to come back here and leave this kind comment. <3 Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!!
Such a wonderful and much needed reminder! Thank you!! <3
I’m literally reading this post as my 13 month old daughter is sleeping on me (she hasn’t done that for months) and I was thinking about the chores I need to get done. Your post was the perfect reminder to enjoy this now because there is nothing more important or wonderful than having her sleep on me! Thanks Julie!
Even though I am only 18 weeks pregnant, this hits home because I know there will be times of frustration, but I also so look forward to motherhood! Seeing my twin sister embrace motherhood has been a blessing, and I love my nephew so incredibly much. I love your insightful thoughts and posts. Thank you for sharing this!
While I love this, I have particularly embraced Glennon Doyle’s thoughts on the same sentiment that feels more true to moms who struggle with parenting, with depression or mental illness, with full time work and parenting, etc. https://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/you-dont-have-to-enjoy-every-moment
I honestly think that’s why I like this — “enjoy them” — feels way less pointed than “enjoy every moment.” Do I enjoy every moment? No, definitely not. Do I enjoy my kids every day? Yes, I do. <3
I love this!! Okay, can I use your blog to spread some awareness for a minute (in the off chance anyone reads the comments). As a special needs parent, the type of comment that really bugs me (although I KNOW the intentions are 100% well-meaning) is something along the lines of “they won’t be little long…” or “one day they’ll grow up and leave the nest….” The reality is, my child might NOT ever outgrow a stage, or reach a certain milestone, or live independently outside of my home. So those comments just feel like kind of a slap in the face and a reminder that my reality is so much different than most other moms. But “enjoy them”… oh yes I do enjoy my children every day. I enjoy them and appreciate them for exactly who they are in this moment right now. So simple and so sweet. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing this important perspective, Becky. Your words ring true for so many and that is absolutely an important thing to consider. <3 Also I love this --> “But ‘enjoy them’… oh yes I do enjoy my children every day. I enjoy them and appreciate them for exactly who they are in this moment right now.” — It sounds like you are such a wonderful mom and that your little ones are so lucky to have you!
As a mom of a 15 and 16 year old I miss those days. My kids are so interested in their friends and sports and school etc
So when I hear that enjoy your kids I can echo that!
Thank you for this post Julie! As a Mom of two boys(ages 6 and 3) sometimes I get get overwhelmed by everything that needs to get done. I’m definitely going to incorporate this in my daily routine. I love how it reminds you to slow down and stay present, something that can be tough to do when life gets busy.