Stinkin' Love My Kid

I had a whole different post all written up and ready to go...but I can't seem to publish it. The thought of it was making my head fuzzy.

Instead all I want to write about is my little girl.

Annie turned 7 months today. Maybe the 7th month mark isn't all THAT important, but it did make me a little nostalgic, especially as I scrolled through every last picture on her Instagram account. (She used to be so LITTLE!) Looking at photo after photo of her smiling, or not smiling, face made me miss her even though she's in the next room over. I want to hold her and snuggle her...which is ironic because her clinginess has, I hate to admit it, gotten on my nerves a little bit these last few days. So what if she's in a needy phase? Let the girl cling! Don't you know what you HAVE!?

I have a darling girl who needs her mommy.

She needs to be comforted as she's discovering her surroundings, the world, herself. For the time being I am that comfort for her. What a privilege. What a sacred responsibility.

When did being a mom become so much about doing THINGS with my kid rather than doing things WITH my kid? And why do, sometimes, the THINGS become more important than the KID? That sweet, annoyingly clingy, adorably attention-needy, kid? I wrote a while back about "Filling Your Bucket" and also about following your dreams. I don't discredit those thoughts or feelings at all. But I think it's also SO important to slow down and be filled and fulfilled by just stinkin' loving your kids.

Love them. Love on them. Be with them. LOOK at them. PLAY. Just PLAY! Hold them close and close your eyes and really savor the moment, because that very moment will never pass your way again.

I'm not suggesting that we entertain our kids constantly. We aren't meant to give our children 100% of our attention 100% of the time. Kids need time to themselves and time to be bored. Also, parents and children are imperfect, so raised voices, frustration, and strained relationships are going to happen. BUT! Soft moments, happy moments, even JOYFUL moments happen too. And I think it starts with truly seeing and appreciating what is right in front of our noses.

This post is SO much more for me than it probably is for anyone else. So, Self: take a step back to truly see your girl. Because MAN I sure do stinkin' love her.

P.S. I LOVED this blogpost about getting back to the basics, aka the GOOD part, of parenting. Great read! (Click the picture for link)