{the winner of the BabbaBox has been announced! and, have you entered the Bible videos giveaway?}
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We’ve visited around this topic during the holidays, thinking of how our hustle and bustle of Christmas season is affecting our littles ones…
…how moments of serenity, of pause and rest, is important for young minds and spirits.
I find it too easy to rope my children into my life, into my world and to-do lists, and into my pace of living. True — it’s not all about them, they are not the center of the universe {or of our family}.
Yet lately I’ve been reminded how they process, live, think, play, eat, create, move at a much slower pace than I as Mama and parent.
They need time, these little ones and bigger ones called children in our home.
Our days have been full recently with experiences and excitements — summer day camps, our annual all-church camping event, the near-finishing of our home remodel and much more.
Daddy has a job shift, belongings in our home are in total disorder, the fun and thrill of recent activity takes a physical toll.
If I’m tired and feeling slightly frayed around the edges, how are they keeping up?
So…we find ways to pause – to stop and move at their rhythm and pace. Slowly. To notice bugs at the park, to laugh at ducks’ antics in the water, to listen just one more time to the story they’ve already told me a dozen times.
To send little boys off to grandparents for days of respite,
and to take big girls out to dinner for time alone with Mom and Dad. To talk and share about their worlds, dreams, ideas and thoughts {9-yr olds and 13-yr olds have lots to say!}.
While there’s no perfect solution or suggestion…
I do encourage us all to think today about younger ones in our homes. About how our family’s activity is affecting their minds, spirits and bodies.
Do we need to slow down or make room for unscheduled and unhurried time?
Mostly likely, you’ll find ways to both applaud your life’s pace and to think about adjustments — and I’m not sure there’s ever a perfect balance.
But, that’s not the goal. Recognizing and responding to the need is the focus.
Grace today as you think and make room…
I wholeheartedly agree. They need unhurried time and they need me to ‘unhurry’ and spend time with them too… I’ve been realizing that more recently as I’ve been mentally ‘hurried’. Slowing down and being with them makes EVERYTHING better.
I couldn’t agree more. Lately I have been fighting the technology beast, which is a slippery one…The lure of the screen is so enticing when they really need time to disengage with nature, books, or imaginative play. I LOVE the name of your blog, by the way!