{Thinking about this post from last summer today. Hope you enjoy it!}
I straighten up from where I'm weeding around the onions, shield my eyes and glance at the sky. Great black thunderheads, rolling in.
"I don't know, honey...it's getting ready to rain in a bit."
What I really mean is - why do a job when it is already done? Why drag out the house and spend time on the unnecessary? But that's Mom-talk. I forget who I'm dealing with.
"Please mom? Please? I want to water!"
He's tugging at the hose now. What could I really say?
I watch him, spraying himself more than the plants, and think on a life of doing things over and over and over. Again and again.
Life with kids is like that. And I'm not just talking about the constant keep up, either. I'm talking about having to change his shirt halfway through the day because his very favorite train shirt lies warm in the clean laundry basket. The book that just begs to be read again, right after you finished it the first time. Re-bathing the baby you bathed this morning, after he stood knee deep in the mud, grinning like anything.
Its the "under dog" push on the swing set, one is never enough. It's that second scoop of ice cream. The second ride on the Merry-Go-Round. It's singing that lullaby once again, because one day you know he won't ask.
It's repeating yourself again and again and still being a soft place to land when they find out the hard way to listen to your warnings.
Again and again. There is no "done" in mothering. No way to check off the tasks of raising a person. Just when you think they've "got it," they can throw you a curve ball and ask for just one more try.
The beautiful thing about the constant repetition in mothering is that, when they clamor loud "Again! Again!," we get a second chance, too. A second chance to watch them in that moment of discovery. A second chance to see that look in their eyes. A second chance to relive these little moments that make up the sum of why we do what we do.
Back inside, Peter is practicing those first few steps. Step, step, step, boom (crashing down). The kids all stand around, their faces full of light. "Mom, he's walking! He really is! Do it again, Peter! Again!" I lean against the door frame and watch him and realize that, no matter how many times I do this, it feels new. Again and again, I'm discovering that, in the repetition, I'm reliving the moments.
Again and again.
{It's Mindful Mothering Mondays, a day to take a deep breath and write out your mothering journey, whatever form it takes. A day to link up for encouragement from others who are in this same phase of life. A day of writing out the trials and triumphs and what you're learning right where you are, right now.
You might post recent struggles or thoughts. Maybe just a picture or a quote. Or maybe you'll just come here and read the links that others post. Whatever form your participation takes, this is a day for you.
We are all in this, together. Together, we can encourage and build one another up, be honest with our shortcomings and strengthened by community to keep fighting the good fight.
I chose Mondays because what Mama doesn't need a little encouragement on a Monday? As such, I'll have the link up ready to go on Sunday night for you to begin submitting your links.
I hope you'll meet with me each Monday! Here's what to do ~
Link up your post below. Remember to put the link to the exact post you want to link, and not just your blog url. Include in your post a link back here so others who want to join in can find us! And visit some other Mamas who have linked up.
Post the community graphic within your post, so people who are reading your Mindful Mothering post can come back here and find the rest of us!
Invite the writers of your favorite blogs to join in!
Share this meme with others on facebook and twitter. This community is for all moms, and the more that participate, the more we will be able to enjoy!!}
Grab the graphic here:
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Yes.
ReplyDeleteoh I just loved this post...one of my favs...read it three times in a row. Keep sharing, Lydia.
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