What Matters Most

I recently read a blog post from Sue about stopping to take time with your kids. It was a good reminder for me, and I also find myself sometimes saying, “Why not?”

Christian was taking a nap this afternoon, and I’m usually very selfish to use that time to work on something I think is important. I kept putting off Natalie’s requests to play together, so she gave up on me and went outside.

While taking a break from what I was doing, I reasoned, “I suppose I could take the laptop outside and that could count as playing with Natalie,” as if that would really earn me points for being a great mom.

I took the computer outside and found her playing with the chalk. The interpretation of her drawing was instant and obvious to me, but Natalie still volunteered her explanation, “It’s ‘children holding hands around the world’.”

Whatever it was I was working on lost its importance. Instead, I was grateful for the moment to discover some terrific artwork and hear what she had made. Those “why not” moments, simple as they may be, are really more like a “Why wouldn’t I want to experience this with my child?”

Why not. . . Pass it on.