Thursday, June 4, 2009

Learning New Things as a Mother, Everyday...

After having two little ones, I've gotten into a rhythm. We get into our routine and go about our day rather smoothly. But then, every once in a while a little light bulb goes on. Yes, even I can still learn a thing or two.

I noticed, while on vacation that our little ones had trouble staying at the table through out dinner. At first, I thought it was all the excitement. They hardly finished their food at any meal the whole time we were there. And let me tell ya folks, I've got two healthy eaters. Then, I blamed it on the fact that they sometimes sat with us, and other times at the kids table. Inconsistency. Hummm.... That makes sense. Hugh's schedule is so erratic, we don't always have meals together at home. There's another inconsistency. And even though I sit with the children at lunch and dinner, I don't always sit down with them at breakfast. Sometimes, I serve them and go about the business of tidying up and getting things ready for our day. And that's been OK up until now. But, I'm learning that flexibility and change are part of the challenge of motherhood.

So today, I started sitting with them at breakfast. It's not only about the fact that I want my children to have good manners. It's also about the tradition or ritual of gathering together at meal time. My mom and dad and I always had breakfast and dinner together. I want that for my family. It wasn't just about the meal. It was a time of sharing our day and just being together. It kept us close. And in their memory, it's something I want to establish and preserve with my little ones.

Do you ever have those light bulb moments? A little epiphany. Times where flexibility and change are needed? Let's ponder and share...Blessings on your day!

4 comments:

Denise said...

Your children are very blessed to have you as their mom.

Susan said...

This is definately a family tradition that far too many families are not maintaining and I feel they lose a big hunk out of that special family time that is so important. The other important thing is to always have it be a fun, happy, sharing time.
Susan

Kimberly said...

A word that the Lord has impressed on my heart recently is the word "generous." Being generous in all areas of our lives...our time being one of those things. And by taking the time to sit down with your sweeties for breakfast, you truly are being generous with your time. And I don't think that is anything you will ever regret, as opposed to someday wishing you had taken more time.

Blessings to you as you continually seek to love on your family. :)
Love,
K

sharon brobst said...

Hey girl - Sorry it's been awhile since I've taken the time to comment!

Great post and SO true. Hold on to these precious years. We always haad meals together as the boys were growing up and then when they became teenagers with their own schedules it become difficult - and I missed it! So we established a rule - Sunday EVERYONE had to eat Sunday lunch together - then they could do what needed to be done.

Those meal times still hold precious memories of hearts shared, much laughter and growing together...

Doing a great job!