no regrets

By the time bedtime roles around at our house I'm tired. Very tired. I don't have much patience left so I normally try to rush bedtime and get the kids down as quickly as possibly. I figure I spend plenty of time with them during the day, right? But recently I read something that really struck me. It was an article about parenting and it said to take time to talk with your kids. It especially mentioned bedtime being a time that kids will normally open up and share about their day. If you don't listen to your kids while their young, they won't talk when they're older.

So the other night Hannah was calling from her room, which we are NOT allowed to do unless the tornado siren is going off or it's an emergency. And by emergency I don't mean a hang nail or a parched throat!. However, everyone once in a while my kids still try to stall at bedtime and call for us after they've been tucked. They generally want another hug and kiss or want their back rubbed. I'm a stickler when it comes to bedtime routine and I almost always respond to their pleas with "It's bedtime. Go to bed." But this particular night as Hannah was calling for her back to be rubbed I gave it some serious thought before I responded. My little girl is already 6 and I feel like she's already outgrowing her little girl phase. I don't want to look back and feel like I missed out on her growing up years. I've read many an email forward from older women about what they would have done differently if they could relive life again. Not one of those women has ever said "I wish I would not have rubbed my daughters back so much!" Nope. They all say "I should have rubbed backs more often." And so, on this night I went right up to Hannah's room and I rubbed her back. And it was wonderful. She laid so still and just chatted to me about the day and said at least 100 times, "Mommy, I love you."

It was a night I'll remember for a long time and I know Hannah will too.