Monday, August 11, 2008

Hide and Seek

My precious son's favorite game to play with me is "hide and seek". This morning, upon being asked what he would like to do special with mommy, undoubtedly this was his answer. We went through the normal routine of counting and searching, giggling, and chasing. He even told me at one point, "Mommy, you're a great hider..." Thanks, buddy. After hearing Gregory spout off ..."18, 19, 20! Ready or not, here I come!" for the 5th time in one hour, I sat back to catch my breath as he chased aimlessly around our home searching for his playmate. I thought about the excitement he shows when he does find me, and the look on his face when I discover him. It truly is priceless.

Before I became a mom, I heard one time that a parent's face should light up every time they see their child come into the room. I immediately thought to myself, "well, of course. why wouldn't they be happy to see their little one?" Now that I have my three, I find myself caught up in the reality of life. The reality of no sleep, temper tantrums, potty training, talking back, and so on. Reality that says if I hear the word, "mommy" addressed at me again in varying tones of voice and pitches, I will spontaneously com bust. But despite all of the realness of mommy hood, I still remind myself daily about that lesson that I learned so many years ago. Those babies don't understand the reality of this journey. They don't understand stress. They don't understand the 7 loads of laundry waiting to be folded and the dishes piling up in the sink that say, "don't play...come wash us..." They just understand that when they walk in the room, this mommy is excited to see them...even if we've only been apart for 3 minutes. And on those days when inevitably I forget, God is just wise-enough to give me a good round of "hide and seek" with Gregory.

Today was one of those days....and it has been priceless.

3 comments:

The Binkley Family said...

I am so glad I found your blog! Your three kiddos are so super cute. Glad you guys are doing well.

Phillips Family said...

Excellent thoughts! I can remember my mom saying "I am going to change my name if one more person calls for Mom" and never understanding the sentiment behind such a statement...until I had kids myself. Sometimes I want to hide when I hear "mommy!" and never be found. Thankfully kids are the best at giving unconditional love on those days when being a parent is one of the less desirable tasks on our list of things to do.

I loved how you asked Gregory what he would like to do special with you...such a great question!

Shanta said...

Great post. I think I have a lot to learn... here I am waiting for the day that campbell can say, "mommy!" I'll try to cherish the silence :)