Count how many times in a day you say the phrase, "hurry up."
Hurry up, we're going to be late for school. Hurry up, I'm going to be late for work. Hurry up, eat your food. Hurry up, and get in the car. Hurry up, and pick up your toys so we can go to bed. Hurry. HURRY. Hurry.
Can you hear yourself? I know I can.
I read an article this morning about hurrying less and living in the moment more and it made my mama heart sink - THIS IS ME. I struggle with perfection. Every morning I try to have it all together and almost every morning everything unravels and I end up uttering this phrase about 15 times.
And then there are the few days when I get it right.
The difference? I am present. I am attentive, not distracted. Slow to anger and accepting of more. I sit with my baby while he eats his breakfast. I drink my cup of coffee slowly, we listen to our country music, and he dances and plays. On those mornings there is joy and laughter - not tempers and meltdowns.
The difference? I let him be little.
To kids, time means nothing. They don't care about appointments or deadlines - they care about exploring and learning. As adults, letting go of the perfection is hard. We live in a society centered around time, but in that perfection and hurry we are missing the most important thing of all. Moments with our children.
I get that there are things that you simply can't be late for like work or school and sometimes we do need to hurry, but does anyone honestly care if you are 10 minutes late to the birthday party or dinner? No. And if they do, well that's for another post.
I want to break the cycle of hurry. I want joy to fill my household - not stress.
So today, lets work to pause more and hurry less. Let's say "yes" to one more bedtime story or one more kiss before we head off to work - because before you know it they won't be little anymore and we will wish time had slowed down.
So, let them be little, mama. Let them be little.
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