Times with friends are great, but sometimes a Mama just wants some time with her kids.
Courtesy of Sarah Shrader
So far this summer, we have done all the things – swimming, skateboarding, biking, scootering, trails, creeks, watching movies on the back of the house from the swimming pool, babies, barbies, chalking, dance partying in the kitchen and oh, did I mention swimming? And all of these we have done with all the friends – never has it been just the girls and I – we always have, usually several, other kiddos with us.
This has been by design – I like to make sure that they always have someone to play with on our adventures, so I plan it accordingly. On top of that, as I mentioned last week, I love having all the babies around. But you guys, I swear that the second that those words hit print last weekend, Maylie got this feeling of missing our “just us” time.
On Sunday night last week, Maylie was telling me just how fun her weekend was and then she hit me with, “but, you know, it would be nice to do something just you, Reagan and I.” Then she smiled a forced smiled and went on with, “but I still had an amazing weekend!”
And my heart sank. Here I was trying to plan all the things with all the kids to help make sure my babies would have a fun time and all my Maylie really wanted was just some time with her mommy.
Monday morning, that feeling was still sitting with me – so I checked the weather and called my mom – she has a pool in her neighborhood that we had yet to hit this summer and she had been asking when we were going to make the trip. Wednesday looked like it was going to be a hot one, so I proposed to my mom that she picked my kiddos up from the sitter in the afternoon and took them to “her pool” (as we call it), and then I would meet them in the evening after work.
Of course, she was happy to accommodate, and my girls were ecstatic. Wednesday afternoon, my sister and some friends joined them at the pool, and, while I hated that I missed out on their fun, by the time I got there after work, I was secretly kind of glad she couldn’t stay and that it would just be my girls and I (and my mom) down at the pool for the evening swim.
At first, I still had work filling up my brain when I reached the pool. Honestly, I actually had to step aside and talk to God for second – ask Him to allow me to pull away from everything else in the world in the next coming hours and just pour into my babies with some two on one time (and some two on two with mom).
Per the norm, God came through. I shook out of my work mode – just let all the worries of the day float to the bottom of the pool and stayed on top of the water playing – hands on – with my girls.
Earlier that day, cousin Brandy taught them how to dive – so I watched over and over as they practiced. After watching for a while, I couldn’t take it, I had to join them. All three of us were diving machines – one after another and then all together.
For a little while, we played “telephone” while floating in the deep end. Trust me, if you include anything about “farts” and “boogers” this game is sure to get the giggles going!
When this Mama was tired from the workout in the deep end (these girls could have gone all night long), we went to the shallow end and did “routines,” where we go through a normal morning but do each activity underwater – brushing teeth, getting dressed, putting shoes on etc.
Then, one of their favorite parts, and mine, the girls took turns holding me in the water. Of course, I had to act like they did as babies and pretend like I was scared that they would drop me. They got a kick out of it. It was bittersweet for me – as I feel like it was just yesterday that I was the one holding them every second in the water.
The irony of the entire evening was that I thought I was planning it (like everything else) just for them. But in all reality, this mama needed this time with my babies – and just my babies – just as much.
Don’t get me wrong, we love our friends and hanging with them – rarely do my kids want to go anywhere without at least some of them (and neither do I) – but I was so thankful that Maylie brought time with just us to my attention.
Many times, like many moms, I question if I am doing anything right. But by the end of that night, Maylie told me numerous times that I was the best mom ever.
And that night, if even for just a few minutes, I allowed myself to actually believe it.
Sarah (Pitson) Shrader was born and raised in Lima. She is a Lima Central Catholic and Tiffin University graduate. Sarah is a full-time working mama who enjoys writing about her somewhat crazy, always adventurous life as a mother. She lives in Bath Township with her daughters and writing inspirations, Maylie and Reagan.
