"I wish my parents _________" was the prompt she handed out to all the nine and ten year-olds in her fourth grade classroom. As the kids scribbled in their answers and handed them in, about half of the papers read, "I wish my parents weren't on their phones so much."😔
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How often do we miss the teaching opportunities around us... watching a child play pretend and joining in, going on a walk and asking your children what they see, reading a book out loud, snuggling a baby without any distraction, or having a conversation eye to eye...? Are we listening? Are we taking the time to actually listen and then teach? I know I can always do better.
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I hope to be the kind of mother who my children remember cheering and running up and down the sidelines at their soccer game rather than scrolling through Instagram. I hope to be the mother who took the time, rather than the one who thought it a waste of time. I hope to be the mother who apologizes for my mistakes (because I've made plenty), and who is willing to try again and again. Yes I have had many days where putting on a movie is my best mode of survival, and days where I cry myself to sleep feeling like all I did was lose my patience all day... but I hope and pray my kids will remember that I tried my very best and gave it my all. That I showed up each day to teach them all that I could. And that my phone was the least important thing in my life compared to the relationships with each of them.
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To all my mothers... the work you are doing within the walls of your home is far more important than any other work. It is by the far the most exhausting, most challenging, and most energy-draining work I have ever taken part of. But it is also the work I treasure most. And I know it’s always worthwhile. So pick up those eyes today, look down a little less, and look around you a little more. There may be other eyes in the room that are begging to be seen. And give yourself a pat on the back... you’re doing great. ❤️
Outfit: roolee