Yesterday I was feeling exhausted, I had a lot on my plate and I felt as if my To-Do list was growing while my energy level was depleting. I wanted so badly to just sit-down and take rest; however, I didn’t have the time because so much still needed to be done. I was on a constant move, doing this, doing that, let’s get these things done simultaneously because that’s what mums do. They call it multitasking. My spring baby wanted some tender love and care while my toddler kept giving me hugs and kisses because she said “mummy want hug, mummy want kiss,” all of which I gladly accepted. This went on at random times throughout the day and I passively noticed it but didn’t really take too much time to analyze it.

Closer to the end of the day, the tiredness really set in and my body was beginning to show some real signs. I yawned countless times. Keeping my eyes open required a bit more work, well….tons more work but I thought I was doing it successfully until I heard a tiny voice saying…”Mummy sleepy”. That was my toddler speaking up, letting me know that she thought it was time for mummy to go to bed.

Apparently mummy’s bedtime needed to be moved up, way up, like before hers…lol.

I was surprised that she had even noticed and thought enough to mention it to me. Her saying it, brought my attention to my own body and what I was actually feeling. In that moment, I was forced to notice just how tired mummy was, and it made me smile. 

I felt both happy and forced me to really be present in the moment. I was happy because she is beginning to show just how attentive she is and her expression made me realize several things:

1. Even though my focus is always on providing care for them, in that moment, my toddler’s expression showed that they also try to care for me in their own way.
2. Her acknowledging and telling me that I’m sleepy reminded me that kids are attentive to everything we do just as we mums pay attention to everything they do.
3. It forced me to slow down, and take the moment that my body so desperately needed.
4. It reminded me of the simple things in life, and how important they are (a hug, a kiss, words of affection, genuinely expressing concern for others).

All these things made me think deeply about the values that I have been trying to instill in them and want to continue to promote to them. The things I say, the things I do. It showed me that how I express myself to them, the hugs, the kisses, the songs, my wishes, the I Love You’s at “just because moments,” all of it is also being instilled in them. They are taking it all in and everything they do is a reflection of what they see me do. My mirrors, my mini-me(s). 

In that moment, I realized what other mothers out there know already, that you can draw strength from the very people that you expend your energy on if only we take a moment to allow the flow to occur. Kids are always so full of life, so energized, and we know from that one physics class that some of us took a long time ago that energy is never created or destroyed, just passed around.

So, my biggest lesson of all, is to take a moment to actually soak up the energy that my kids are giving off as part of my self-care practices. A reminder to always be present in each and every moment. To allow all my senses to make the most of any situation so as to create a vivid memory that I can draw from for years to come. And as I mentioned on the reflections blog , making sure that I cherish every moment.

So I’m taking the time to record it on this blog and share with you all so that we can all have it in our memory stores. On days when life gets hectic as it often does, we can remember this simple lesson from a child, and we can simply …

TAKE A Moment, Listen To Your Body, And DO WHAT IT Is Telling You To Do. TAKE A Moment, ENJOY The Love And Affection That Your Loved Ones Are Showing You. TAKE A Moment, Show Empathy To Those That You See Need It. TAKE A Moment, Just Because You Need It.

Care for others, but also allow others to care for you. And remember that everyone expresses love differently and it is up to you to show and tell them how best to love you.

With that, I want to thank you for taking the time to share this moment with me. Feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comment section below. If you’ve experienced something similar, I would love to hear about it!