A Chat with Mommy

Since Dillion was born we have a tradition. Every night at dinner we go around the table and say what we are thankful for that day. It is a great way to get everyone settled down. Get them into dinner mode and out of crazy kid mode! Something like "I'm thankful we got to watch a movie today" Or "I'm thankful I didn't get in time out" Or "I'm thankful Lily helped me today!"

When the kids are tiny we answer for them. Like when 4 month old Ian would insist on me holding him during dinner. At his turn everyone would chime in "Ian is thankful for mommy!"

Very true.

Then as the children get older the answers really start to take life and it is amazing to see what they come up with each day.

So if you have been following along you know that I have been down with knee surgery recently. I was taking pain meds pretty regular for a couple days. I was not able to put forth the full mommy effort that my kids need. However, over the weekend I was feeling much better and James left me home with just Dill for a bit while he ran to the store with Uno and Tres.

What did The Dill and I do? We talked. Simple as that. He told me stories and I listened. He asked questioned and I answered them.

4 year olds have a lot of questions and I missed out on them while I was sleeping off the surgery. He asked me everything from why are the walls cream colored to why do we have nipples. I answered everything to the best of my ability. We had the best time just chatting for about 45 minutes straight.

45 minutes well spent, that I will never forget! And neither will he.


As we sat down for dinner that night, Dill was tired and very resistant to taking a seat to participate. However, once he was coaxed into his chair, he thought for just a moment, his eyes got big, fixed on me. And he said "I am thankful mommy talked to me today!" His eyes were smiling so big as he said those 8 simple words.

And instead of feeling like a crap mom because I hadn't been awake and interacting with my kids for 4 days straight, I felt on top of the world! All I had to do was sit this tiny 4.5 year old boy on my lap, talk and listen. At the end of the day that is what really makes the impact. Not the blistering hot hours spent at the park where he seemed to have so much fun. Or the hour I let him watch his favorite Netflix show.

All children really want is our undivided attention for a short period to let them know that they are special! Just a few minutes spent talking about what is important to them. Even though he is small, there is so much going on in his beautiful, unique brain!

From that day forward, No matter what else happens, I will devote a tiny bit each day to that cuddled up chat time with my children. In the end, that is what they really remember!