Every Mom Needs a List Like This Because Your Kids Will Outgrow Your Lap

Motherhood is a calling. It's a gift. And a privilege. It's a big deal. It is why from the time the first signs of pregnancy appear, in a woman's mind, there is immediately a resolve to do everything right — to do things perfectly even.

There's a problem with that line of thinking, however, and any mom who is too deep into her mothering duties had once or twice probably thought of it. Mom Erica Layne of The Life On Purpose Movement puts it in black and white for us:

"How easy it is to get caught up in the doing of motherhood instead of just being with my kids!"

Not any mom's fault, of course — there's a big job to do and someone's got to do it: the tidying up and the fixing; feeding the kids, checking their homework; managing the household. And at any point, all hell could break loose, that even if in your mind you just wanted to enjoy being a mom, you lose yourself to the daily grind. Over and over again. 

But, for Erica all it took to get back on track was her child's reassuring voice ("It's okay, Mom") and a memory of her mom being wistful about the old days of wiping up spills like it was a good thing (because yeah, it's something you'll miss when it's gone, believe it or not).

"This is my motherhood. I only get to do it once.

"These children? They’ll only be in my home for a short time. They’ll be mine forever, but they’ll never again need everything from me. Once they’ve outgrown my lap, they’ll never truly fit there again (although they’ll always be welcome). This is it."

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The next thing she knew, she was listing down ways to savor the moments she has with her kids as a reminder not to "get too caught up in the doing." Every mom needs a list like this, and here are some of our favorites:

"Be silly. Sing at the top of your lungs in the car, dance in the grocery store, pull a harmless prank."

"Don’t round UP on their ages. Even if your child turns 7 in two months, keep thinking of him as 6. There’s no need to hurry childhood along, right? (By the way, I do this with my own age, as well. I’ll be 32 until the day I turn 33.)"

"Do something for you. Often. You can’t pour from an empty cup."

"Climb under some blankets and read to them. (And for those moments, choose not to let it bother you when you get sat on and accidentally elbowed a dozen times during your reading session.)"

"Make it your goal for a day to double the amount of eye contact you have with your children."

"Regularly take some time to remember your childhood. It’ll help you better appreciate theirs."

"Practice living simply so your mind is clearer, which—in my case—helps me experience more moments as they come."

Reading Erica's list is making us wish we could make childhood moments last a lot longer. Here's the rest of her 32-point musings to savoring her kids while she has them.

What would YOU add to the list? 

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