Just Be
I saw a post from a friend who has four littles today. It was a picture of her in the car with her babies in their car seats behind her and she said “Somedays I feel like I spend the majority of my time in the car”. Oh how that resonated with me and hit me straight in all the feels y’all. I remember so clearly when my own littles were 5, 3 and just under a year. The oldest went to half day kindergarten five days a week. The middle went to partial day preschool three days a week and I had a husband who worked serious overtime hours and traveled extensively.
Each morning I would load all three kids into their car seats to drop the oldest off around 7:30 and on preschool days the middle one around 9:00, after drop off my girl and I would either run errands or run home to accomplish a few tasks before leaving to pick the oldest up at 12:30 and the middle around 1:00. The oldest had also started t-ball so in the afternoons we were usually racing to practice or a game, we spent the majority of our days in the car picking up and dropping off the boys while my daughter was in her rear facing car seat behind me, sometimes sleeping, sometimes wailing and sometimes just staring in awe at her older brothers.
At her 6 month check up, which let’s be completely honest was probably done closer to age 7 or 8 months because hello third kid; the doctor was examining her and said “Hmmm what’s this little mark on her forehead?”
“Wait! What? She has a mark on her forehead? Where? When did this happen? How did this happen?” These words tumbled out of my mouth while tears started to stream down my face.
Having the sweetest pediatrician ever, she sat down on the trash can, rested her chin in her oh so capable hands and said “What’s going on momma?”
As I dressed my beautiful girl back in her clothes and snuggled her to my chest I choked out between sobs, “I don’t know how this happened. I don’t feel like I actually get to ever look at her, she’s either in her car seat or she’s at my breast nursing or she’s asleep in her crib! I don’t think I even know what she looks like anymore!” My tears flowed and flowed while she looked at me with the kindest eyes. She waited for my gentle sobs to subside and told me that this was all totally normal, that I was the mom of three active young kids and I was doing a great job. The tiny mark on my daughter’s forehead was nothing to be concerned about, that she was healthy and happy and that I needed to give myself a break and take some time to rest and just be.
I’ve thought of her words and her kindness often over the last 19 years while running ragged with three kids and I’ve tried to remember on the especially brutal days that I’m a good mom doing my best, that my kids are healthy, happy and well adjusted and that I need to take some time to rest and just be.
Momma’s of littles (and not so littles), you are spending your days catering to your families, your jobs, your home and giving it your all, you are doing a great job! Give yourself a break, take some time to rest and just be.
