Dear Mom,
I know there are so many things to do. Important things. Things with deadlines and time restraints. But could we slow down, just a bit, and let me look at this caterpillar crawling by? This world around me is so interesting and I just want to watch it for a while.
I know you have to hurry to your work, your meeting, to my soccer game, and I know it’s bad to be late. But lately it feels like we hurry to everywhere. And I just wonder, at the end of our lives, will we be glad we went to all those places, even when hurrying doesn’t feel nice?
When we hurry you get short with me. Sometimes angry. That’s what hurry does. I don’t understand because I’m going as fast as I can but I’m not as fast as you. And I thought we were supposed to “enjoy the moment” but I don’t think hurrying helps us do that.
What if we could slow down and not hurry so much? What if you had time to stop with me, look at me, and just enjoy the wonder in my face while I watch a butterfly? Have you watched a butterfly lately, mamma?
What if we had more time to read and sit together, or snuggle together, or cook together? Because if you weren’t always in a hurry then it would be OK if I messed up.
Hurry sometimes hurts my heart. Can we not hurry so much before I get big and think that hurrying is how you’re supposed to live?
16 comments
As a relaxed/ unschooler Mom, I was wondering about scheduling. Sometimes I have a hard time finishing up projects with my kids. I only have 4 but I feel stretched sometimes. We try to do school in the morning, so they can have the afternoon free to pursue their personal interests. Would love to know how you schedule your days? And what do you use for the 1-3rd grade for Math? Do they do worksheets at all? Thanks.
4 is not a small family. Don’t let any of us big family moms make you feel that way. 4 is a lot.
-Mom of 8
I have four as well, the biggest just turned 6. We use MIQUON for math, new to this curriculum but it came highly recommended by a seasoned hs’er who has similar style… I am a piece-meal not replicating school teach them to love learning sort of mama. It’s workbooks but not busy work, and they’re intuitive and affordable. We used Make Math Meaningful last year in K, I loved it’s approach, very true to it’s title. But it was a little slow for my smartypants first born. I plan to get it out again when #2 is in K, or sooner.
I love that reply! I have 3… a special needs 3 year old, a 5 year old and a 7 year old. It’s easy to look at other moms with more children and think that I should have it all together because I “ONLY” have 3. Three is blessedly busy too. No matter your family size, mothering is busy, blissful, blessed and a lot of “plain ole hard work”.
This was absolutely wonderful! Thank you, Kelly!
Facebook does this to me. When I stay off FB, life feels slower and more relaxed.
[…] Since I haven’t posted my weekly blog yet, I found this that was too good not to share! Even if you are not a momma, this applies to all of us. He enemy wants us to be too busy. Too busy for bible. Too busy for prayer. Too busy to stop and encourage one another. Let’s try to slow down, and enjoy the beautiful creation God has made. Check this post out for thoughts from a child’s perspective! […]
Gave me goosebumps and a lump in my throat….cuz it’s so very true and so very sad to hear it from the perspective of a child. Thanks for the needed reminder.=)
Thank you for this gentle reminder, Kelly. I loved this: “What if we just said “no” to being more places and said “yes” to being together?”
We don’t go a lot of places (other than to church on Sundays), but the part of that statement above about just saying “no” to being more places spoke to me in a different way. For me, I need to be consciously aware of being places in my own home that are “away” from the children for long periods.
I’m in the process of re-establishing my home business I had over a decade ago, and it is very easy to wrap myself up in that for long periods. Being at home doesn’t always mean being together. In my case, anyway, if I’m not careful.
Taking some time every day to sit outside watching my six-year-old catching butterflies and helping her transfer them into observation jars is good for both of us. And that’s only one of the children.
Slowing down and savoring the beauty with which God has blessed us — that’s the healing stuff of life.
Lovely post.
great post!
Being only 17, I completely get the whole idea of needing to slow things down. It’s one of those things that my little sister is always reminding me of. Instead of rushing, just enjoy the little things!
LOVE.
Thank you so much for opening my eyes. I hurry through dressing our 22 month old, he just wants to sit and play with his tractor. I hurry to the store, purchase things quickly, he wants to help place chili peppers in the plastic bag, he wants to sit on the floor and play with the tractors in the toy aisle. I rush through his snack, I stuff the leftover banana down my throat and forget that it’s food, forget that God blesses me to taste, forget that I’m not even hungry. I rush home, rush to put the groceries away, rush to feed my boy, he just wants to talk about the ingredients, push the blender button for me, and help me pour it. I rush through “lunch” for me- again, don’t stop to thank my King, don’t stop to taste how rich His creation, don’t stop to talk with my baby. I rush to naptime, diaper change, reading. He says, “book, more…” But I tell him “all done” and we move on to naptime- quickly, mommy has to work. I rush downstairs, cook or work on the computer, again snack on something- tasteless, zero gratitude…
Thank you.
The other day I left the groceries in the garage, and we sat on our driveway waiting for the garbage truck to turn the corner onto our street. I felt peace. I stared at my son and got lost in the wonder of his eyes, his facial expressions as the truck pulled up to empty our garbage bin. I thanked The Lord for His gift of motherhood, of the life in front of me, and for reminding me of the peace that comes from waiting, and being still before Him.
Nicole–this was beautiful. Your honesty, your teachable spirit and your deliberate work to change habits that are so hard. Great lesson for all of us in your comment!
This is my first time here, on this site, i stumbled on after sharing a FB post ! Just reading all the sweet stories and i just wanted to tell everyone how fortunate we all are to be able to love and care for all of our children that God has allowed us to parent. I have raised my two sons, they are now grown and have their own families. They are both Christian Men and gave me a life with them that i would relive again and again, I cherish my life with both of them. Along the way i have had the honor of mothering my Grandson “Berry”. His mother left my son and him when he was almost 2. The court gave custody to my son. Long story short, because my son works at a plant that requires odd work hours, time out of town and even out of the country , they moved back in the house with my husband and i so that i could care for Berry. Well, Berry is now 5 and !/2 yrs. old. My son recently proposed to his girlfriend and they have recently gotten a house and are getting married. The transition is not going smoothly because lil Berry wants to stay with me, the only mother he has ever really known. I am not taking it good either, but…i am in constant prayer and i know God is in control. So my reason for sharing is …Our grandchildren are loved as much by us as our children are. Thank God daily for these lil children that he has allowed us. Take advantage of every moment they ask you to share with them, and realize they might be gone tomorrow. I am very thankful for my son and him allowing me time with my grandson when I ask. Still, there is MUCH pain. Real pain, that physically hurts. That i cry to God and ask him for the strength to get me through another day without lil Berry being here when i awake. I am thankful for the relationship that i have with my New daughter in law (To Be). She is a very well established young woman, a good career as a nurse, has an 18 year old daughter that shows me as to how capable she is in raising a very well balanced, Moral, And Christian child. But the very absence of Berry is still hard. I Thank God for the means of allowing me to be a Grandma again. But for you ladies that might have a minute to pray for a Grandma that feels like i have just given up my own child, please do. Grandma Kim and lil Berry will surely appreciate it ! And you ladies keep up the Great parenting skills. Lots of great stories and good Mommies and a whole lotta Love ! May God Be with You All !!!!
[…] What Hurry Does to My Heart […]