Perhaps it’s happened to you, that moment in your life where you find yourself saying, “Oh my goodness! I’ve become my mother!”
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my mother. And by no means was she a bad mother; after all, she raised 3 children to be contributing members of society. But those moments always catch me off guard.
When the constant clutter starts to get to me; when all I can see is the mess and not the two happy kids begging me to play… When I find myself taking the dirty dishes out of the dishwasher so I can put them in the “right” way… Those are the moments.
You see, my mother is one of those people who can fold a fitted sheet and make it so crisp it could be put on the store shelf. Seriously. Not only that, but once when she was visiting she actually took the sheet I had just folded and then refolded it.
I can remember playing with my sister when I was younger, but I can’t for the life of me remember playing anything with my mother, except board games and puzzles. My sister is 7 years older than I am, certainly when she was at school during the day there had to be a time when my mother played with me. But I don’t remember.
What I do remember is the house was always clean.
Always.
The laundry was always folded as soon as it was taken out of the dryer. I remember helping sort the fresh, hot socks, learning to fold the underwear just right.
The kitchen floor was swept daily, mopped once a week, and waxed. Waxed! (I’m sure my mom cringes when she sees the dog hair that seems to forever be on my kitchen floor, no matter how often it is swept.)
Indeed, when my parents are coming up to visit, I spend the hour and fifteen minutes it takes them to travel up to our house scrambling to try to clear the clutter off the kitchen table, run the vacuum, sweep the kitchen floor and pick up a hundred or so miscellaneous toys and clothing items.
So, why is this on my mind right now?
Lately I’ve realized that while we’ve done plenty of crafting lately, and plenty of preschool stuff, it’s the princess dolls, Polly Pockets, and superheroes, that I’ve been neglecting. Ten years from now I want my little ones to remember Mommy on the floor, playing with them.
I want those memories, too.
Rach says
I bet your kids will definitely remember the times you played together… and if not, you can just point them back to this blog and show them photos of projects you did together. 😉 But seriously, I’m sure they will remember. 🙂
OneMommy says
Oh, I hope they do! 🙂 You’ve reminded me that I need to be making more backups of my posts so I can share them with them when they are older….
Shell says
I remember my parents’ house always being spotless when I was growing up, too. Not so much that my parents spent time with me. I’m trying to be different! I want them to have memories of me doing things with them.
OneMommy says
I think it was just the time we grew up; more stress was put on how clean the house was and that’s just what moms did.
Here’s to playing more and cleaning less!
Kristen says
Over the holidays when we were sick, I got down on the floor and truly played with my girls. It was a lot of fun and they told me I was “good at it”. One of the best compliments I have ever been given! 🙂 Happy 2013!
OneMommy says
Now THAT is a great compliment! 🙂
Rachée (@sayitrahshay) says
I’ve had those moments too! With my tween I realize that I am talking AT her instead of WITH her. I am going to spend some time tonight remembering just how great she is and enjoying her and not what needs to be done.
-r
OneMommy says
I need to work on that, too, making sure I am talking with my kids not at them… I want to get into better habits now before they get to that tween/teen age point…
Chris Carter says
Oh this is amazing!!! I absolutely can TOTALLY (redundant, I know) RELATE!!! Such an excellent piece… I clean up more than I play. Such a convicting reminder you have given me about this issue. I AM your mother. 🙂 Will try my best to STOP cleaning…enjoy the kids while I can…let go of the mess…focus on what is truly important. Thank you for your inspiring and genuine post.
OneMommy says
I think we all do it sometimes… Being a SAHM, I guess I put pressure on myself about how the house looks, but it really isn’t as important as the time with the kids. After all, that’s really why I’m at home.
Sheila says
My parents stayed with us for 2 weeks over the holidays…it became very apparent how much I am just like my mom. 🙂
Stopping over from SITS Sharefest!
OneMommy says
Yes, I always see more of myself in her when I spend extended time with my mom.
Thanks for stopping by; can’t wait to check yours out!
thedoseofreality says
This is a tricky one for me, because I actually don’t really like playing…there I said it. But I love games, like actual games with rules and stuff. I am trying to play mindless play more. One of my 2013 goals. Stopping by from SITS Sharefest.
OneMommy says
That’s me too! I like to play games with them, and do crafts, and read… But the playing cars and Polly Pockets all at one time and then a huge dinosaur comes in and saves them from a bunch of tigers…. My head just spins at the thought. But I’m trying!