A sweet friend of mine sent this link (at bottom of post) to all the Moms of Multiples in our group, and I just wanted to share it here in case anyone else needed to hear it today.
One of the best gifts I ever gave myself (and my family) was when I realized -and accepted- that as grateful as I was for the blessing of my twins, some moments just aren't "enjoyable". Because we had waited for so long and wanted them so bad, I only made the challenging moments worse when I allowed guilt for not soaking up every second to be piled on top of an already difficult moment.
I remember it exactly. Both babies were SCREAMING bloody murder at the same time, and all that would make them calm down was to be held and bounced as I paced up and down the hallway. Back and forth. For an entire morning. After only about 3 hours of broken sleep the night prior. I remember feeling so incredibly stretched and exhausted, and wanting to just cry. And then the tears did stream down my cheeks as the guilt set in when I recognized I was not enjoying every second of my precious babies.
And then it hit me.
Some moments are just plain not enjoyable.
Fact.
And ya know what? That's ok.
It didn't (doesn't) mean I love my children any less.
In fact, if anything, recognizing that has freed me to love them in a different, better way.
Now whenever I meet a new Momma, I always say "enjoy the good moments".
I still struggle, and probably always will, with stopping to savor the good moments (this blog was titled as such for a reason), but I have been a lot better about it since then. And I pray constantly that God will keep my eyes and heart fresh to recognize and take in more special moments. But I really believe accepting that some things (moments, days, weeks, seasons...) are just plain hard and not enjoyable, assists you in recognizing and soaking in the good ones.
For your reading pleasure:
http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/
One of the best gifts I ever gave myself (and my family) was when I realized -and accepted- that as grateful as I was for the blessing of my twins, some moments just aren't "enjoyable". Because we had waited for so long and wanted them so bad, I only made the challenging moments worse when I allowed guilt for not soaking up every second to be piled on top of an already difficult moment.
I remember it exactly. Both babies were SCREAMING bloody murder at the same time, and all that would make them calm down was to be held and bounced as I paced up and down the hallway. Back and forth. For an entire morning. After only about 3 hours of broken sleep the night prior. I remember feeling so incredibly stretched and exhausted, and wanting to just cry. And then the tears did stream down my cheeks as the guilt set in when I recognized I was not enjoying every second of my precious babies.
And then it hit me.
Some moments are just plain not enjoyable.
Fact.
And ya know what? That's ok.
It didn't (doesn't) mean I love my children any less.
In fact, if anything, recognizing that has freed me to love them in a different, better way.
Now whenever I meet a new Momma, I always say "enjoy the good moments".
I still struggle, and probably always will, with stopping to savor the good moments (this blog was titled as such for a reason), but I have been a lot better about it since then. And I pray constantly that God will keep my eyes and heart fresh to recognize and take in more special moments. But I really believe accepting that some things (moments, days, weeks, seasons...) are just plain hard and not enjoyable, assists you in recognizing and soaking in the good ones.
For your reading pleasure:
http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/
4 comments:
I read that post a couple of days ago, and I loved it. LOVED it.
I shared that post on facebook as soon as I saw it. It hit home with a lot of the mamas I am fb friends with. Thanks for posting it to remind me to read it again!
Usually we find what we are looking for. So, it's important to be careful and realistic about what we are looking for and what we expect.
Sometimes the difference between frustration and happiness (or at least an absence of frustation) is as simple as an adjustment in expectations/attitude.
You and Dave are great parents.
LOVE,
GRAND DAD
Yes, I adore that blog post! She was so right one about it. I'm with you 100%. I definitely live for those good moments.
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