This week were some great reminders to slow down and take one day at a time. Being a Gigi is a blessing because I can stop everything I’m doing and just be with my grandsons. When my girls were home, it wasn’t possible to do that every day! There were meals to cook, laundry to wash, floors to sweep, school lessons to prepare and a million other things! I was a busy woman, just like you, Momma. Do you ever wish it was different?
It’s easy for moms to wish away their child’s life.
“Things will be so much easier when she’s walking!” “I can’t wait for her to start pre-school.” “I’ll be glad when these terrible 3’s are over!”
And so on. Each day as a mom is challenging, but you can’t imagine how fast it will be before you attend their high school graduation and are staring into the face of a young adult.
I’m not kidding.
Everyone tells you those things, and you nod and smile because you’re going home to a toddler who will have wet their pants for the fifth time today, poured their finger paints into the toilet, and refused to eat a bite of anything because they consumed a whole bag of potato chips while hiding in the pantry! But trust me, friend, the years will fly by and they will be gone. Graduated. Married. On their own.
And you won’t lose your marbles about all that IF you spent those 18 years or so loving them, spending time with them, and teaching them about your Jesus to the best of your abilities. Oh, you will know that you made lots of mistakes, but you know those are covered by God’s grace, and with that, you are okay!
In the meantime, you have today. What will you do with it? How about just love on those little and big ones? How? Let me give you a few suggestions:
- Show loving gestures – hugs, pecks on the cheek, a pat on their back, a hand squeeze
- Spend time playing with them each day.
- Play a game
- Go outside and push them on the swings
- Ride bikes with them
- Play store, library, or Sunday school
- Have a scavenger hunt
- Bake together
- Work in the yard together
- Work on a dinner for Dad together
- Take a walk
- Jump rope
- Blow bubbles outside
- Help them with homework.
Just be together each day.
- Leave notes of encouragement. Write on their mirror with dry erase, or leave a sticky note where they’ll find it. Leave a note in their lunch. Mail a card to them.
- Allow one child to stay up late for time with both Mom and Dad once a week.
- Have a bed time routine that is special. Tuck them in. Read a book or Scripture. Sing a song. Pray with them about their concerns.
- Do a chore they are assigned as a gesture of love.
- Stop and pray with them in the day about something that is troubling them.
- Talk to them and sing to them about Jesus!
- Love their daddy!
RefreshHer 
Yes, raising children goes by in the blink of an eye. These are wonderful tips on how to love your children. I wish I would have known you when I was raising my four.
Have a good day, my friend.
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Thank you, Debbi. We can all look back and wish we could’ve done more, but we still have today to impact someone’s life. I’m sure you’re a blessing to others as you are to me!
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This is such a good reminder and so true. It is easy to “wish away” each stage of your child’s life, and before you know it, they are grown up and gone. As a mom to 3 married adult children and grandmother of 11, I can attest to the importance of cherishing the time we have with them. I wish I would have been better at this and am so grateful my children are doing a wonderful job of doing these things with their kids. It is so important!
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You’re bearing the fruit of your parenting. What a joy!
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Thank you for this reminder! I was guilty of this with my first child—wishing he would grow up faster and get to a certain stage. I’m grateful I was blessed with more children so I could enjoy their childhoods fully! Each stage comes with its own ups and downs.
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You’re so right – each stage has it’s blessings and trials. How wonderful that the Lord allows us to grow and learn as we go along!
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