My son is nearing his third birthday and I’m struggling to accept how fast time really moves when you have a kid.
Everyone tells you it moves fast. We know this, but then you blink and there goes another year.
I know there are many moments as parents we struggle to push through saying, “oh my gosh, when does this end?!” for whatever reason. Then we guilt ourselves wondering why we wished time away.
I hate wishing time away, I do.
However, back to me sitting on the bedroom thinking about time with our children. I’ve realized how much time he gives me to sit with him, even if it is in silence while he falls asleep after I’ve read him his bedtime stories.
His recent quote to us is, “three more minutes, mom, okay?”
He has no real concept of what time is and how long those 3 minutes are. He got that from us always preparing him for what’s happening next. We always tell him, “Hey, we’re leaving in 10 minutes.” Or “bedtime is in 5 minutes!” If he knows something is coming, the tantrums and meltdowns are much more minimal than if we spring something on him.
It’s our way to prepare and plan for him so he can understand and accept the next thing to happen. We like a plan as adults too so why shouldn’t we provide that to him as well?
Every night when I take my son to bed, we have our routine. We read a book of his choice, say our quick prayer, and go to sleep while I hold his hand. The moment we finish that prayer, he always says to me, “stay in my room three more minutes, mom, okay?”
Instant moment to melt into the floor as his sweet voice asks that.
But I do sit there and wait for him to fall asleep. Of course, we have the days he springs up and realizes I’m leaving and freaks out. Other moments, I can sneak out quietly and shut the door without being detected.
What I realized though, is even if I’m in his room for only 15 minutes every night, just me and him, alone in the quiet, we get almost 4 total days a year of simply time together.
Obviously, there are nights it is much more than those 15 minutes, and some are much less. However, the point I’m making is to stay for those “three more minutes.” They add up.
That gives me almost 4 entire days of time with solely me and my son in 1 year. That may not seem like much to some but as they grow and time flies on by us, those 4 days of time stay with us as we watch them sleep, giggle when you read their favorite book, or simply cry for you to stay a moment longer.
Stay three more minutes moms and dads. That time adds up. You won’t regret it.
Two Cents Worth of Mom Life 