A few years ago, my aunt said something to me that I think about every day. Her children are well into their teens, and she was reminiscing about the days when her kids were young. She told me that looking back, she realized that she was constantly telling them to hurry up. Now she wonders what the hurry was. Little kids are as slow as molasses most of the time. It can be frustrating, especially if you are trying to go somewhere and they are dawdling instead of putting on their shoes like you have asked them to about a million times. But I am rarely in an actual, real hurry. So why do I let myself get frustrated? I don't want to look back and feel like I was always rushing my kids. They deserve a patient mom who lets them dawdle. Because isn't that what being a kid is all about? It's not about being hurried out the door and hurried into their car seats and hurried . . . where, to the grocery store? Can't the grocery store wait for a few minutes? So what's the rush?
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That is such a good reminder, especially as we've started 'real' preschool and it always seems we're hurrying to get out the door and get there by 8:30am. It is funny to me that Hannah used to get up voluntairly at 6:30/7am, but now she'll sleep in till 8. I think preschool is doing one of the things I hoped it would, help her get her wiggles out!
ReplyDeletethanks, Stephanie, I really needed to hear that. I am a FREAK when it comes to being on time - I fear that I'm sending the wrong message to my kids...the lesson on punctuality can wait a few years, can't it.
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ReplyDeletei learned after i had parker that when i'm in a hurry, i'm not very nice. now i just make sure i'm prepared enough that i'm never really in a rush to get anywhere. i'm always on time, mind you, but i hate hurrying my kids, too. i also noticed that when i do hurry them, i'm also not listening to them, and everyone deserves to be heard.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You must be such a cool mom.
ReplyDeletesoooooo true. They grow up so fast so what's the hurry!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think about that a lot, especially when I'm trying to get my kids in or out of the car. They don't understand "hurry!" Most of the time there is no reason for hurrying, so they're probably right to question me. I don't want them to remember me as a stressed out, grumpy mom. So why is it so easy to be in a hurry and so hard to slow down? I read an article today in Parenting Magazine about that. I couldn't find a link to it, but it's called Stop and Smell the Crayons, and it was written by Paula Spencer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a good reminder! :)
I have to constantly remind myself of this, more so with one of my young 'uns than the others!
ReplyDeleteStephanie, you are such a patient mother already but it is so true, like grammy says, it all goes by too fast! mom
ReplyDeletesigh, so true so true. Most of the time when I am telling them to hurry it is my fault we are late in the first place!
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