Kids Will Remember

(MY 3 Y/O SIGHS DEEPLY AS HE WRAPS HIS ARMS AROUND ME) "I'm so happy you're here, Mama."

WOW. If that doesn't give pause. And all the feels. And mush, puddles of love, and oozes of gratitude. Whoa.

Kids are so great at reminding us to be present, and to attend to what actually really matters, right?

He said this to me after I'd been away all day, after traveling, after his bedtime bath, while I'd been guilty of mentally arranging my to-do list of unpacking, putting everything away, doing another load of laundry, etc. Sound familiar?

I wasn't WITH him. But he was with me. And in his outpour of love, the way he squeezed me, I stopped, I breathed into him, I held him close and took so many deep breaths of joy and thankfulness and love.

I recently saw a FB post where someone asked their followers, "If you could delegate one chore for the rest of your life, what would it be?" And in my humble opinion, the winning response was "housework." LOL, right??

It won't always be like this. He may not be a cuddler next year, or he may not be happy to simply be around me when he's older.

What *will* be here, though, is yet ANOTHER to-do list. Things to put away in their place. Laundry. Everyday chores that get can get in the way of connection.

The best STUFF for our kids is our engagement, our attention. Fully entering their land of imagination and play, unplugged, undistracted.

When you declutter, when you have systems that work for your family, when you have a home that relieves stress instead of being the source, you can be fully engaged and present for the people you love who matter the most.