Being a mom requires a lot of flexibility. I’m not talking
do-the-splits-bend-over-and-touch-your-toes type flexibility; I am talking
about having your whole day turned upside down kind of flexibility. Something I
had to learn very quickly is not every day was going to go as planned.
Unfortunately, usually the days I had the longest to-do list were the ones that
didn’t work out the way I would have wanted. Children are ever changing, and
some days they need a little extra attention. Let’s take this morning for
example, I am getting ready to head out of town for three days to a women’s
conference. I wanted to tidy up the house and leave it in good shape so it
would be easier for my husband to keep up with things, and so it wouldn’t be an
absolute disaster to catch up on when I returned. Jase wasn’t having that. He
followed me around, clinging to my leg wanting for me to pick him up and cuddle
him on the couch. Children don’t always know that we moms have a to do list.

In that moment, we have to be flexible. Something I try to
remind myself of often is the idea that babies don’t keep. Today he may be
tugging on my leg in need of some extra snuggles, and tomorrow I may be the one
begging for him to slow down enough to want to cuddle with me again. My to-do
list can always wait. I don’t want to look back on this time and wish I would
have stopped more to spend time with my kids. I want to know that I made the most
of every second I had with them.

Sometimes this is so much easier said than done. Sometimes
it is really frustrating when we had so much that we needed to get done. But
when we allow flexibility to enter into the situation, we can take a moment
away from our to do list and focus our attention on our children. We may have
to pray that God would help us to be flexible and always remember what matters
most, but it will grow us in our parenting. Our kids won’t look back and
remember how well we were at keeping up with things; they’ll remember how much
we showed them they mattered.

Now mama, close the computer, set aside the to-do list, and
go cuddle that sweet baby of yours. Take a deep breath and get ready to chase
that toddler around the house. Babies don’t keep.