It may be surprising, but I did do something right

As a mother, there are TONS of things that I get wrong.  Just ask my kids.  I really do try and I want to be the best mom that I can be, but I screw things up pretty regularly whether it is losing my temper or just being lazy or flat out making a poor parental choice.

So it is really nice when those moments come around that feel like a warm hug to my soul and I hear that whisper in my mind that says, "This you got right."

The other night I took Parker, age 7, to his soccer practice.  It was just the two of us in the car so we chatted as we drove to the rec center.  It was really nice to have some one on one time with him.

As I pulled up to the drop off zone he jumped out of the car and sprinted toward the door.  I always watch to be sure he gets in alright (paranoid, remember), and just as he got to the glassy double doors he lurched to a stop and turned back toward the car.  With a gigantic smile he stretched his skinny arm as high as it would go, his hand making the sign language "I love you" sign and he waved at me.  Then he sprinted into the building for practice.

It brought tears to my eyes.

Every morning when my kids leave for school I stand at the front door and wave at them until they can't see me anymore.  I hold my hand in that same "I love you" sign so that the last thing they will see every single morning is their mom telling them they are loved.  I know it sounds silly, but it is really important to me.

I look horrible at those times.  My hair is NEVER done.  I am rarely dressed (no, I'm not naked, just in my pajamas), but I don't miss a morning.  Most days the kids just run off and barely even look back.  But other mornings, just like this soccer practice, they skid to a stop and turn around to wave at me too.  Sometimes they blow me a kiss.  I never close the door until they vanish because I don't want them to turn and see an empty doorway.

It isn't much, just a brief pause in the chaos of daily life.  But these little moments make my heart squeeze (in a good way) and sometimes my eyes leak a little bit too.

It is really nice to get something right every now and then. 

Me and all six of my sprites.