Before I had children, I had this vision of how family life would be. The big family bed with white cotton covers and white floorboards. Little rosy faced cherubs in floral pyjamas sitting quietly with puzzles and books.
Then we had children.
The family bed is covered in jam and toast crumbs. The little cherubs are in garish, cartoon pyjamas with sticky fingers, tipping out entire toy boxes and demanding bananas and juice. Juice which often ends up all over the floor.
But we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Some of the best family times are the messy ones. Watching your baby learn about food, exploring new tastes and textures.
Ignoring the changeable spring weather, pulling on some boots and finding some muddy puddles to jump in.
Recent research from ACE clean revealed that teens are messier than toddlers, so I am prepared for many more years of my house being full of mud, messy clothes and clutter – but my heart will be full too. Full of memories, full of laughter and tears. Full of the days of being a parent, which go by far too fast. The baby years seem long, but they go by in the blink of an eye, and I am determined to spend less time worrying about the mundane things, and more time being with my children, before they are grown and gone.
No mess is too big, it’s easy enough to clean up. I am guilty of worrying about mess and dirt, worrying about the floors and the clothes – but really, do they matter? Things can be washed and cleaned.
You don’t get a second chance at parenting. You only get to do this once, and life is too short to miss out on the fun. Your kids won’t remember the footprints on the floor or the clothes you didn’t get round to washing. They will remember the time you got your boots on and splashed with them, they will remember the time you pushed them up to the sky on the swings, they will remember the times you were there to pick them up when they fell.
Spend time making memories.
*This is a collaborative post*
Little angels! Happy, messy children, great work mum!