I was running around crazy one day, trying to get everything done that needed to be done. I am a full-time working mom and so when I get off work I need to get as much done as I can to keep up on everything. I was dragging the kids from place to place; everywhere we went I was telling them to hurry up. I was snapping at them even though they didn’t do anything. Finally my 5 year old looked at me and said, “You’re no fun anymore mom.” I didn’t know what to say, I just mumbled, “Sorry,” and then quietly continued with my errands. Ever since then that sentence has really bothered me. It is very hard for me to write this post because it bothered me so much. I don’t like to feel like I am not a fun-loving mother to my children.

How many times do our kids think this of us? They might not verbally say it to us, but I’m sure they think that more times than we think. Life gets busy and we get stressed with everything that needs to be done. How many times do we have to do the dishes instead of watch a movie with our kids? How many times does the house “have” to be cleaned instead of cuddling on the couch under a pile of blankets? For myself personally? Way more than I would like to admit. My husband has even told me quite a few times to let the dishes sit and to come be with the family for a minute. Lately I have made it a personal goal to spend more time with my family and to let a few more things slide for a little bit longer. Now I’m not saying I’m becoming a slob and that my house is a disaster. I am saying that instead of jumping up and doing the dishes as soon as dinner is over, we all sit around the table and talk to each other a little bit longer. Instead of cleaning the entire house in 1 day, I’m trying to do a little every night so on my days off I have more time for my family.

My kids aren’t very old, but it is hitting me in the face more often that they are growing up and I will never get to have these moments with them again. They aren’t going to want to cuddle one day so whenever they ask me to cuddle I am dropping everything that I am doing and cuddling them until they tell me to go away. I am trying my best to become “fun” again for them so that when they look back on their younger years they will remember how much fun we had together instead of remembering that mom was never fun and was always in a hurry. These are the moments that count, these are the things that they are going to remember. Life is too short to be ornery and in a hurry all of the time.