"I dream of mummies and butterflies, and cakes and beaches and ice-creams and daddies. Close your eyes - nooo peeking" ( I close my eyes- he kisses me on the cheek). "I love you sooo very much".....
This was my "payment" for being there in his bed, reading to him while hugging him. He shared his dreams. All the things he likes. He dares to dream. He is almost 5.
My dreams are lists of chores and pin numbers, and schedules, career development ideas, losing my recent pregnancy weight. Questions of "middle" age, how the hell did I get there so fast?
I am shattered from working and breastfeeding and being a mum and wanting to be all that and more. Study more, travel more, write more, walk more.
And then I stop comparing his world and mine and I look at him marvelling in the moment. Taking in this amazing and delicious moment in time where I allow myself to be his honoured guest in this innocent and light hearted world where mummies and daddies and ice creams and butterflies live in abundance. I want to stay there and forget my lists, de-construct myself and let go of all the musts and shoulds and oughts that mums carry with them in order to run their place.
We forget ourselves and we forget to dream. We worry and plan and try to control the universe that surrounds them, that surrounds us.
The other day, he "showed" me an ad where a mum was dancing while serving ( i think it was some kind of sweet spread) her children and they were laughing - ""Mum look" he said and pointed out the dancing mum.
What a blow! I had been but the dancing mum lately with a newborn in my arms. And although I am too old and yes, too wise to fall for the trap of the happy, perfect dancing mum of the ad, I listened to what he was actually telling me by pointing this out - "you are not fun like she is, I want you to be fun, I need you to be fun".
Yes he is only 5, and he doesn't get my struggle, but doesn't he deserve a fun mum every once in a while? Don't we deserve to be this mum (actually be, not pretend to be) and drop everything that we "ought to" in order to dance and dream?
So my advice in this quick and short post (because this is my "dance" for the day) is that next time you are about to explode from taking on too much responsibility, step back and remember that these unique children we are bringing up, are sometimes like wise old men/women, just showing us the way....
This was my "payment" for being there in his bed, reading to him while hugging him. He shared his dreams. All the things he likes. He dares to dream. He is almost 5.
My dreams are lists of chores and pin numbers, and schedules, career development ideas, losing my recent pregnancy weight. Questions of "middle" age, how the hell did I get there so fast?
I am shattered from working and breastfeeding and being a mum and wanting to be all that and more. Study more, travel more, write more, walk more.
And then I stop comparing his world and mine and I look at him marvelling in the moment. Taking in this amazing and delicious moment in time where I allow myself to be his honoured guest in this innocent and light hearted world where mummies and daddies and ice creams and butterflies live in abundance. I want to stay there and forget my lists, de-construct myself and let go of all the musts and shoulds and oughts that mums carry with them in order to run their place.
The other day, he "showed" me an ad where a mum was dancing while serving ( i think it was some kind of sweet spread) her children and they were laughing - ""Mum look" he said and pointed out the dancing mum.
What a blow! I had been but the dancing mum lately with a newborn in my arms. And although I am too old and yes, too wise to fall for the trap of the happy, perfect dancing mum of the ad, I listened to what he was actually telling me by pointing this out - "you are not fun like she is, I want you to be fun, I need you to be fun".
Yes he is only 5, and he doesn't get my struggle, but doesn't he deserve a fun mum every once in a while? Don't we deserve to be this mum (actually be, not pretend to be) and drop everything that we "ought to" in order to dance and dream?
So my advice in this quick and short post (because this is my "dance" for the day) is that next time you are about to explode from taking on too much responsibility, step back and remember that these unique children we are bringing up, are sometimes like wise old men/women, just showing us the way....
