Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

Those Little Parenting Moments

trampoline“Watch this, Mom!” my boys cry as they perform acrobatic tricks on the trampoline.

Their hair flops up and down with their jumps.

Smiles on their faces since it’s hard not to be happy when flying through the air.

They show off what they’ve learned: turns and bounces and how high they can go.

“Jump with us, Mom!” they ask and I oblige.

Bouncing up and down with my three boys, laughing as we try not to knock into each other.

Finally collapsing and lying down, in a heap of giggles.

Hugs and fights over who gets to lie down right beside mom, we catch our breath and look up at the clouds.

My boys excitedly pointing out which clouds look like what: animals and people and creatures purely from their imagination.

In those moments, I realize just how lucky I am to be a mom.

To have these three boys who want their mama there with them, playing and having fun with them.

Moments when there are no fights.

When everyone is behaving.

When there isn’t an urgent to-do list whispering in my ear, telling me there are much more important things that need done rather than the silliness of playing on a trampoline.

Mom life can feel frantic. Stressful. And like no one is listening. And OhMyFREAKINGGod, why is this so freaking hard?

And it’s easy to focus on those moments.

To forget that the good far outweighs the bad.

That though motherhood is hard and I’ll probably end up wanting to tear my hair out before this day is through, there are many moments like this one.

Joyful moments.

Maybe not anything special. Just an afternoon spent out in the sunshine without any real agenda.

Where laughter rings loud and clear in the air.

With plenty of hugs and smiles.

And the memories of these simple moments are the ones to hold onto during those moments when it’s not so easy.

Because they are what really count.

Share a moment with your kids that made you smile lately.

Comments

  1. I have come to appreciate those little moments of shared giggles and laughter and conversations as some of the happiest I have. They do balance the harder moments of motherhood, for sure. 🙂 

  3. I love this. This morning at 3am, Gia crawled in my bed upset because she thought there was a bug in her room and then insisted that the fan above my bed was a spider. When I calmed her down, she curled into me and put her hand on my face and fell asleep. I kept thinking, this is the perfect end to a Mother’s Day. It’s in those moments that I cherish being a mom. The ones where my heart feels like it is going to burst. The moments when they aren’t fighting and there is no schedule are pretty awesome, too. Glad you had a wonderful Mother’s Day, Shell. You deserve it!

    • Oh, I love those cuddles! I try to remind myself that the days of my boys coming into my room and wanting to snuggle aren’t going to last. 

  4. Those are the best moments!! Monkey wanted me to play with him yesterday – we were just playing with his angry bird sling shots flinging birds in the back-yard. We first started to aim at eachother (his idea) then we just did a distance contest (my idea) – I let him win….but it was the best few minutes that I’ve had. He’s my mama’s boy and I love it!  So glad you had a great time and remember the good times over the bad.

  5. Lately, one of my favorite moments each day is when my youngest wakes up and comes downstairs with her tousled hair and a big smile on her face and asks, as she’s running towards me: “Who’s ready for her morning hug?” It’s a thing of late and I treasure it! 
    Lovely post!

  6. Thanks for sharing that moment with us. I love this. And you are so right. It is the little moments that really matter.

    • I’m trying to remember that it’s these moments that count, so I’m trying to write more about them, not just when things are rough. 

    • I remember lying on my back in my backyard looking up at the clouds as a child. I love sharing that with my kids. 

  11. First off, I’m impressed. I have to be very, very careful on the trampoline post children and I don’t have any issues with sneezing like many fellow mommies do!

    My kids and I had many moments like that this weekend oat Family Camp. I thought of you when we drove by the sign for your town.

    • I have to go to the bathroom right before I jump with them. Or else I’ll be on there for about 5 seconds before I’m excusing myself. LOL 

      Hope you had a great weekend! 

  12. I needed this– yesterday and this weekend was wonderful but today I seriously so quickly already forgot how to find joy in it all…. it wasn’t a bad day just did not enjoy this day.

    • I have so many days like that. I’m trying to force myself to remember the good moments- even if they are short, just so I remember that it’s not all hard. 

  13. Aw. I love the special moments. Sometimes my patience runs thin and I need to remind myself to calm down and realize that my kids just love me. Sometimes they just have a funny way of showing it. 

    • Amen. I really have to remember that at the end of the day. I completely run out of patience by dinner time and have a tendency to blow things out of proportion then. 

  14. I felt like that last week when my 5-yr-old finally learned how to swing on her own. I was right there with her and suddenly this awkward thing she was doing transformed into the real deal and the squeals she made and the cheering I did for her was just a great moment. I was at her school playground and everybody could hear both of us but I didn’t care. It was her moment and I was going to be her cheerleader. And in that moment I thought how much I loved those moments and how they just made motherhood so great. And also I was so glad to be able to be there for such a moment. I know swinging is a small thing, but it was such a big deal to her. Happy Mother’s Day!

  15. Those special little moments make this mothering thing just a bit easier. It helps me through the harder moments of the day.

  16. I love love love this post. I was just smiling a few minutes ago as the Crazies giggled like crazy in my bed, with my phone, ignoring the crap out of me. I love that they love and enjoy each other…even if it is for just five minutes out of the entire day!

    • Oh yes, I love when my boys are playing nicely together- even if they are trying to kill each other other times of the day! 

  17. I love those no fight moments Shell. Also, at our new house, the plan is to get a trampoline! My idea 🙂 Hubs isn’t into it. But see how much fun and bonding they bring about?! Ha. Might have to reference this post and try to win him over 🙂 xo. happy belated mother’s day! 

    • They really are fun! Just have to have a few rules like what they can and can’t do or how many kids can be on at once- and then they’re fun. 

  18. I call those joy catching moments – sometimes it is only 2 minutes of true goodness in a day – and I don’t want to miss a second of those 2 minutes – because being a mommy can indeed be very hard:)