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Perspective 2012
Mar 20 2012

When I wonder what it’s all about, why I am where I am, and whether all my decisions or in/out-of-control direction changes in life were good ones, I usually need to drink lots of red wine and stay away from the hard liquor!  When my 6, soon to be 7, year old daughter tells me to take a break from cooking dinner and see what she made  and affixed to my home office desk (photo to left), everything makes sense for a few moments.

I tell her that I need to save all these precious notes and drawings she makes me because when she’s a teenager she’ll want nothing to do with me.  She denies it adamantly and tells me she will always love me.  I tell her I know that’s true but she might not express it the same way as she does now, but I will always love her which thankfully she believes. I doubt she’ll be writing me the same heart warming notes and drawing me butterflies when she’s 16, but the fact that she thinks she will is sweet.  Although I’m sure her peers and society might think it weird if she’s drawing hearts to her friends and mom when she’s older, I hope she continues to be comfortable expressing her love for people because it’s not an easy thing to do without judgement when you get older.

I don’t recall my now 9 year old son writing too many “I love mommy” notes when he was 6, but I do have a few of those that I’ve saved and stuck to the fridge or put in his box.  He mostly wants to play with my iPhone and the Wii runs into me to show his affection and randomly hugs me sometimes in odd places like Office Depot.  He still likes me to sit next to him when he’s watching TV and cuddle with him for a bit before he goes to sleep.  When I ask him why he is hugging me in a superstore, he says “I don’t know, I just wanted to.”  I sigh, laugh, roll my eyes a bit and say “Ok sweetie, I’ll take it when and where I can get it,” hug him back and muss his hair.

I’m so lucky when it comes to my kids (knock on wood) and I guess I am where I need to be right now for them.  If I’m penniless in my 80s, I’ll show them the notes and see if they remember writing them and the feelings they were trying to express at the time.  Deep stuff, I know.

Author: | Filed under: parent stories, parenting, working mom, working mother | Tags: , , , | 11 Comments »

11 Comments on “Perspective 2012”

  1. 1 Jan Ryan said at 6:41 AM on March 21st, 2012:

    This is precious! You will treasure forever, and yes it is worth it all. 🙂

  2. 2 Aruni said at 7:20 AM on March 22nd, 2012:

    Thanks Jan. I’m truly blessed and I guess things will work out as they are meant to work out.

  3. 3 Cristina said at 7:42 AM on March 22nd, 2012:

    OMG! This is so cute! I remember when my daughter used to do this also. She even used to paint rocks for me and asks me to make sure I put it in my desk at work. She’s 14 years old now so she doesn’t do it anymore obviously. She’s a good kid though, she just expresses her love for me now differently just like you said. Thanks for sharing this!

  4. 4 James Martin said at 9:25 AM on March 22nd, 2012:

    You are so very lucky with your kid Aruni. It’s very blessed to be loved like the way your kid express it – a very memorable moment in life that you really treasured. Thus, you truly deserve what you have right now.

  5. 5 Nell @ Housewife Empire said at 7:55 PM on March 22nd, 2012:

    I hope my kids are like this when they’re older. When they’re babies all they want to do is cuddle. I’m going to miss that.

  6. 6 Aruni said at 9:19 PM on March 26th, 2012:

    @Cristina – I’m glad they can express themselves like this even at some point in their lives. There are some kids who don’t have the ability or opportunity to do so and I feel very blessed my daughter feels like she can!

    @James – thank you. I do feel lucky! It makes the challenging life occurrences easier to bear.

    @Nell – I still cuddle with them, but it’s different now. I sometimes miss the baby cuddling but I really enjoy the age they are now. 🙂

  7. 7 Jervy Ton said at 6:57 AM on March 30th, 2012:

    You are one lucky mom Aruni.

    As time pass by our daughters or sons will become grown-ups, they may enter a new phase in life and we (parents) may get old, but a children’s love will never fade towards their parents.

  8. 8 Paul Jackson said at 4:01 PM on March 30th, 2012:

    Glad you have such wonderful and lovable angels! You’re so lucky and hope this gonna be the best motivation to yourself.

  9. 9 Aruni said at 8:38 PM on April 2nd, 2012:

    @Jervy – I hope you are right that their love will never fade. I can’t imagine mine fading for them but I’ve seen it happen to others. I hope they know I’m there for them regardless what they go through and even if they do things or say things I may not agree with at times.

    @Paul – They are my #1 motivation to keep going every day!

  10. 10 Chelsea Removals said at 2:48 AM on April 4th, 2012:

    Wow! These drawings are so precious. How beautiful they are. Aruni I must say you are very lucky to have kids like that.

  11. 11 Aliosha Kasin said at 2:53 PM on April 5th, 2012:

    You are a lucky mum Aruni 🙂