As you travel on your parenting journey, gain a new perspective on how to appreciate the here and now.
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Welcome to the Be Your Best Self Blog by Marsha Abbott.
"The Timer"
Have you ever played the game “Pictionary”? My extended family loves that game!! The timed drawing and guessing…well you just never know what is going to happen! But the part of Pictionary that always makes me smile is that little one-minute sand timer that is used. You know…the one that looks like a miniature hour glass. What makes me laugh is that while the same timer is used for both teams, it seems so much different depending on which side you are on. If it's your turn to guess, well then, the timer seems to move so fast. And when it’s your turn to sit on the sidelines and watch the other team, that same timer seems to never end. Funny how that works, right?
So a couple of months ago, when two of my three children celebrated their birthdays…yet again…I instantly thought of our family’s Pictionary game that we so love to play. And what makes me smile the most about those experiences with “the timer” is that it reminds me just of what it means to be a parent. That Pictionary game is just like this “parenting game” of life that so many of us choose to travel down…
Let’s see if you agree…
When parenting starts and our babies first arrive, there is only one word to describe the next year ahead of us…complete and utter chaos! It is one big mess of bottles, diapers, wash, and toys that defines the first year. For me, in that moment, I remember feeling like it was the longest year of my life, yet it seemed so short as I look back on it now. And just when we seem to get use to that kind of crazy and settle into our new norm, the next adventure starts…crawling and walking…yikes!
So for that next year, well let’s just say we had only one goal: To keep our child from hurting themselves. What a scary, yet exciting time as they start to move all on their own. And as I looked around at our house during those years, it didn’t even resemble the same place we moved into years ago. Every dangerous area was permanently barricaded, and all of those fine pieces of décor just didn’t matter anymore. This time in life was hard for me being a “type A perfectionist” as I wanted everything just right and in order. So in that moment, it felt like my house was in this type of disarray and would continue be for years to come. In the midst of this phase, I also thought that struggle of protecting my 1-year-old was never going to end.
But like everything else in life, it did pass…quickly in fact…and next up, it was time for those preschool years. And oh boy was that an interesting time!
All I remember during those years were fevers, colds, and arguing about who stays home with the sick one, and the juggling back and forth with sitters as we tried to work and parent all at the same time (who invented that crazy idea?). And it was during this phase of life that I had my first real scare as a parent. That scare of hearing a loud boom in our back bedroom only to find an entire dresser and drawers on the floor with my son lying next to it. He was trying to use those drawers to crawl up to the top (go figure!). And it was the one thing we didn’t even think to barricade (epic failure on our part!). I have no idea how that huge dresser didn’t fall on him but instead chose to land beside him. Whatever the reason, I am still grateful to this day that he was okay.
But again, even when those crazy preschool days seemed to never end, that time too really did fly on by. Just like the rest of the years that followed…
So when two of my children celebrated their 13th and 15th birthdays a couple months ago, I remembered that Pictionary game we so love to play, and I thought of only that “timer”. It reminded me of something very important that I want to share with you, in hopes that it inspires young parents out there to look at things a little bit differently as you are in the midst of all of the child chaos surrounding you.
When it comes to raising our babies…some days may feel like the chaos is never going to end (much like watching your opponent’s guess during a Pictionary game). But when we finally get to the point where we can look back on those years, we see that they really did move so incredibly fast (just like when it’s our teams turn to guess.). While the same “timer of life” is used, it can appear very different depending on which side of this parenting journey you are on. Funny how that works, right?
But now that my parenting journey and time with my children living in my house is starting to come to a close. Now that I see the end of this path in sight, there is one thing that Pictionary and its tiny, insignificant one-minute timer reminded me of…
So please try to remember this always…
As you get wrapped up in this “parenting game” of life, be sure to sit on the sidelines and just look around every now and then. Try to watch those moments from the outside looking in so that you can remember to enjoy what you really do have before you. Remember always to look around now. Because like everything else in life, your parenting journey will too be coming to an end someday. And it’s at that time when you will finally realize that it can move just as fast as that Pictionary’s one-minute timer does when it’s your teams turn to guess…. don’t wait until then…just don’t wait to appreciate it until after it’s already gone…
*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com. Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!