NOTE TO READERS: Heather refers to her children as #1, #2 and #3. That said, enjoy:
There's this great farmers market by my house, that I go to every Saturday. I'm a quasi-vegetarian, so I do the majority of my grocery shopping there. I usually bring my 3 year-old with me, and more often than not, meet my friend Snork (from maidensnork.blogspot.com) there. She's Russian, and just can't resist a one for $6, 2 for $10 deal.
A few weeks ago, we're wandering through the flower vendors' tent. I'm a creature of habit, and have to complete things in a straight, non-backtracking line. The flower guy is way out of the way, but #3 digs the flowers the best, so we start there.... Back of the last row. #3 stops and sniffs all of the flowers as we wander through the stall. I usually let her pick which bundle we're taking home with us, and apparently for a 3 year-old this is serious business that requires extensive research.
For anyone who knows me, they know this must drive me nuts. I'm impatient, and to first be bypassing the goat cheese to visit flowers, then to follow her around while she inspects every flower there... It's a struggle. All I can hear going through my mind is that I really just want to pick up some bok choy and move along.
So the Russian and I are watching Baby one morning, making her rounds amongst the buckets full of flowers, and the Russian says, "Do you ever just stare at her, and think, that is SO awesome?"
And the truth is, I don't. I mean, I love my kids, of course. But do I really appreciate them? Not as much as I should.
I've never been one to want kids. I don't really like them (except for mine, of course). But in general, they're loud, obnoxious, messy, and... frankly.. inconvenient.
But of anything in the world, my kids make me happy, all the time. I'm not the type of mom who caters to my kids, who makes them the center of my existence.
But they are a vital piece of me.
I get jealous, sometimes, of the Snork's kid-free existence. She can do what she wants, when she wants to. Without, really, any repurcussions or planning.
So, no, I might not be able to pick up and take off to Moab for dirtbiking, or eat sushi for dinner every night.
But, I've got three little people who think I'm the greatest thing since potato chips, who I get to miss work for so I can watch her get an award for being an outstanding speller, who can make me laugh by making a goofy face, who say "Mommy, I love you the BEST," for no reason.
It's easy to forget that, in the minutia of the day-to-day parenting.
Having kids hasn't defined me. But having kids has helped me define myself, and made my life fuller than I could have imagined.
End note from me - I think Heather appreciates her kids more than she even knows.
Additionally, I think this is one of the cutest pictures I have ever seen in my entire life.
You can read more of Heather's musings here - http://www.365awesomedays.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter here: @hmgiraffy
Great post. I think you were so right about getting caught up in the day to day minutia of parenting (100 pts for using that word in a blog btw). It's posts like this that help remind me where my center needs to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks again to Heather for this fabulous post and to everyone who contributed via Facebook and Blogger, and yes, I think Heather may be a bigger 'softie' than she lets on.
ReplyDeleteShe's one of those rock star moms who make the rest of us look bad, (and I'm not even a mommy... yet... and, as you already well-know, may never be).
Only time will tell!