It’s past nap time and the clouds tell me it could be a good afternoon for a snooze, both for me and the kids. I ask the kids to quickly pick up and get their books to read. Legos, piles of books, and play food is scooped up and hauled away to the proper places. I look down as Lily tells me about dinosaurs and poison ivy. ‘Don’t let poison ivy fool you, Mom. It still hurts when the leaves turn red.’ I nod and then look down again and realize this might be the first time I have looked her in the eye all day.
We finish reading books on the couch and I walk Lily to her room to snuggle under her pink polka dot blanket. She nestles into me and I sweep a wild red hair behind her ear. And I do it then. I look into her bright blue eyes, full of wonder and things to tell me. And she does. She tells me about her books and her water glass and more about poison ivy. She knows she has my undivided attention and takes full advantage of it. I listen and try to memorize the way her braids are fuzzy all around her head and the way she crinkles her nose and then half smiles with her eyes looking up at the ceiling. I spend a few more minutes just listening, and then she walks me to the door and hugs my neck as I look her in the eye to tell her I love her.
With the meals and cleaning and teaching, it’s sometimes easy to forget the children in my home are actual living, breathing tiny humans. I am putting their needs first almost all day long and yet many times I fail to have a real conversation with them that doesn’t involve the word ‘no’ or ‘please do (or do not) __________’. It’s on me, this lack of close conversation. I am the sole person taking care of them 3/4 of the day. So why do I struggle with the daily practice of noticing, talking, and not hurrying through a conversation with my little people?
I don’t have an answer, but I do know I want to try and have more eye to eye conversations with the little ones in my home. It seems a simple practice, really. Get close to the ground and talk with them. Snuggle in bed and talk with them. Find a way to talk with them. And listen. When I think about how simple, yet living giving this thing can be, I almost kick myself for not being more intentional about it sooner. (Grace, grace!) And yet, here I am.
Today I want to be more intentional with the practice of looking my kids in the eye everyday and talking with them. I know most days they will probably say something like: ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I need some space’, but I still think it’s a worthy practice to instill in our daily rhythm.
How do you make time for conversations with your littles?
So true! I feel this very same way with my grandkids. We spend so much time together, but I often wonder is it mostly just taking care of their basic needs or is it suppose to be more than that? Should I be looking into those faces and truly loving every moment instead of worrying about have they used the potty, are they hungry, do we need to pick up toys, etc. Thanks for the beautiful reminder!😊
I do the same thing, Kim! Thanks so much for sharing. These little people are such gifts!