https://almanacnews.com/blogs/p/print/2017/09/25/instead-i-held-you

Local Blogs

"Instead I held you"

There is a beautiful post that I frequently see online. "Instead I held you" is about a parent choosing to hold their little one instead of cleaning, answering emails, etc.

Although my days of holding a newborn for hours on the couch are probably over, the post's message still rings very true. Take a moment to be present. Take a moment for yourself and see how much your small child has grown over the past week, month or year.

With three kids, I am constantly interrupted during the day. Baby needs to be nursed or changed. Our middle child wants a snack. Our oldest needs help finding a pair of scissors or a Lego piece. More often than I would like, I stop holding, playing with or reading to one child in order to help another or to break up a disagreement. Or I need to multitask so we can eat lunch before a class or get to bed on time.

Last night, after our baby fell asleep, my two older kids asked me to read a chapter book to them. Not surprisingly, our middle child fell asleep after only a few chapters. I savored the time reading aloud to my oldest child while his sisters slept soundly. I was able to read him the book cover to cover without any interruptions. That uninterrupted time when I could just be present with our son for an extended period of time is exactly what I needed. Everything else could wait.