By Anna Quindlen on motherhood,
...the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs.
There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1.
And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.
Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be.
10 comments:
those photos capture the feelings of Quindlen's words so well! (and i love your 'emma-isms) - the china story is hilarious...don't wory emma, one day you will go see that very amazing land. :)
what cute pics! Matty is so big. I love his naked buns! (is that totally inappropriate?!)
I think about that quote all the time to try and help me treasure my children instead of... Well I am trying to treasure all of my moments. I am not very good at it, but I try.
That is a great little tid-bit on motherhood. Those things that emma says are so dang cute. The way she talks makes the things she says even more cute!!
so im a horable friend, i need to email you and tell you not to go to AZ simply because there are TRIANTULLA spiders there. so go at your own will. miss you guys and your kids are adorable.(sorry for the spelling errors.)
I just read that quote somewhere else, and it hit home again just now as much as it did then. If I could only remember that always. I love the idea of "backing off and letting them be," and wish I could do more of it!
I loved the quote and the pictures. I have to tell you, I had to try several times before my computer would let me see your blog. It kept blocking it saying that there was inappropriate content. When I finally circumvented it I saw why! Cute naked buns Matthew!
Oh I love it. Love it, love it, love it. I needed to read this today, too. Instead of grumbling while I wiped up the endless pile of food off the floor by her highchair, I laughed and took a picture of the noodles smeared in her eyebrow. Then I cleaned it up. :)
I think Emma says possibly the funniest things I have ever heard.
Great quote! I hadn't read that one before but it's definitely one to be read often. I enjoy your Emma tidbits. Unfortunately, I can never remember exactly the things Spencer says to write them down. The paraphrased versions just aren't as funny. Anyway, thanks for the comment. Comments make me feel special, silly, I know. Evie is over her outdoor aversion but has replaced it with food. I guess it's always something. She's still my doll though.
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