One tiring morning, my 3-year-old and I were sitting hip to hip on the couch eating apples. The TV was off, my phone was out of sight, and all you could hear was, well, apples. Then, he leaned in and kissed my cheek.
My world stopped spinning in the best way possible. My heart was flooded with everything that was missing. Then, I had an AHA:
If something as simple as a mid-snack smooch can fill me up and make every challenge worth it, what else is possible?
Since then, I’ve been gathering my favorite mamahood memories, and I’m seeing a theme:
All the best moments have been the small ones. The ones that lasted mere seconds. The ones that were painfully basic, like:
- dangling a string between our faces, blowing it back and forth, and laughing.
- announcing bedtime with a paper towel roll and watching a mundane routine turn into something worth remembering.
- cheersing his milk and my coffee whilst sitting on the kitchen rug.
In my chronicling, I’ve realized the most important theme of all:
Mama was tired, but she was *in* the moment. She was paying attention with all of her senses. Her mind was open to learning and her heart was open to playing. She said, “Wait!” to her to-dos, put her feet in her little one’s shoes, and realized she had nothing to lose, because…
Mama was present.
You see, raising a toddler is hard while you’re in it, but every single mom that’s made it out alive tells you just how much she misses it.
So, for the remainder of this beautifully messy season, I’m on a mission to seize these fleeting months with intention. And I’d love for you to join me on a journey called Mama Be Present.
Every Tuesday, I’ll share a joy prompt for you and your little one in a private Facebook group, on the MBP Instagram, and right here on my blog. (To get email updates when there’s a new post, mosey over to this page and subscribe.)
These won’t be Pinterest-y things. They won’t require special tools, talents, or buying anything except maybe some glow sticks, because glow sticks. They’ll be small yet sweet…like sharing a snack unplugged, making more eye contact, saying yes to something, or one of the other 40+ things I’ve got lined up.
My hope is that in the process of connecting more with your toddler, you’ll connect more with yourself and see long days from a different lens. (Maybe you’ll even meet a new best friend!)
Most of all, when you look back and miss this stretch, I hope these tiny moments are the mightiest of memories.
SO looking forward to this,
Brit
Brit Stueven 