Let Them Be Little

A few days ago, I shared this picture on my personal Facebook page...

It gave me a little bit of a reality check and since then I have been

seeing my children in a different light.

It also reminded me of a song I heard during a MOPS meeting back when

we lived in Oceanside. Our guest speaker sang "Let Them Be Little" which

was another eye-opening moment for me as a new parent.

If you haven't heard it, here's Lonestar's version...

     I'm writing this post because I want all of us parents  to remember that these babies will not be babies for long. I feel like we all need that reminder from time to time.   Don't get so caught up in raising them that you take all the fun out of being a kid!  

When my kids look back on their childhood some day, I want them to

remember the day mom let them throw Styrofoam peanuts all over the house
and then we "fed" them to Mr. Vacuum. Or the time we had ice cream sundaes for dinner because it was too hot to cook. (Hasn't happened yet, but now I think it might!)   Before we know it our kids will have to face the serious parts of life, why not let them enjoy this time while they have it? I'm really guilty of letting the tired-me get the best of me.

I get impatient, I get annoyed, they ask me to read a story or play

a game and I reply with "Not right now, Mommys tired".

 One thing my kids LOVE to do that really annoys me is they pretend the

vacuum is a monster. They stand in front of it and run away screaming when

it gets close to their feet. They do it every single time I vacuum and it makes

doing the chore that much more difficult for me. I usually shoo them away 

or tell them to go find something else to play with but this week I realized, why not?
Why not pretend the vacuum is a monster?

They will only be kids once, and who are they hurting?

I'm knocking their fun and imagination because it inconveniences me.

That's what it comes down to.

So I encourage all you parents to loosen up a little.

Ask yourselves "Why not?" a little more often...

and let them be little :)