My motherhood is filled with movement. It’s constantly trying to fit things in wherever and whenever I can and doing my best to stick to a routine so my kids’ emotional and physical needs are met.
Yet, motherhood has taught me to slow down. It has taught me the importance of enjoying little moments in the midst of all the movement.
I took my kids on a hike the other day. I can’t be sure of the exact distance we hiked, but it couldn’t have been more than a mile (there and back) – if that. And it took us a while. Rocks, sticks, and leaves needed inspecting every so often, and sometimes we had to mix around the dirt with our fingers.
Kids can be busy and on the go, while at the same time, moving slowly. They’re still learning about the world around them and they need time to investigate and discover.
Our hike made me realize how much I have slowed down since becoming a mom. I have always been someone who does things as fast as possible while multitasking, so I can move on to the next task on my ongoing list. I’m still that person, but I slow down when I’m with my kids. Being constantly on the go is overwhelming and I see my kids get frazzled when there is too much stimulation around them. Seeing them struggle when there’s too much noise or movement makes me realize how much I also struggle in this type of environment.
Will my kids’ world always be calm and stress-free? No. I do believe that being exposed to a more stimulating environment is good in moderation. But, whenever I can, I try to create peaceful moments throughout our day. These moments may sometimes only last a couple of minutes, but sometimes that’s all we need.
I’ve learned the importance of slowing down when having conversations. I’ve learned the value of truly listening to others and thinking about their words before jumping in with my own. This is not always easy for me, but I remind myself how overwhelming it must be for my kids to witness these interactions and I realize it’s just as overwhelming for adults – we’re just more used to it. But that doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for us.
I’ve learned to chunk things out. If the yard needs cleaning up, we do one flower bed a day. If the car needs to be cleaned, we wash the outside one day and vacuum the inside another day. Things take longer to get done when you have kids, especially if they are little. I’ve learned that there’s nothing wrong with that.
These days, you’ll see me frantically moving around trying to get things packed up when we try to leave the house, but you’ll also see me waiting patiently for minutes at a time as we slowly make our way down the stairs to the garage. You’ll see me quickly packing the car with all our bags, jackets, and snacks, but you’ll also see me giving my toddler time to climb into her car seat by herself because she wants to practice.
It’s not always easy to slow down. Especially when you have places to be and schedules to work around to keep everyone happy, but it’s incredibly worth it. I don’t want my kids to constantly be asked to “move faster” or to “hurry up”. They will one day learn the importance of being on time, but for now, they are still learning how to move their little bodies.
That stubborn threshold between the basement and the garage is still tricky for my toddler, and I will continue to swallow my words as she takes her time stepping over it every time we leave or enter the house. Slow and steady wins the race.
