What a night! Single parenting is always stressful, but tonight was one of those nights that I thought I might rip my hair out. I had so much to do and my list kept getting longer and longer as the night went on. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? When one thing gets crossed off inevitably something else goes on the list, all while your children quickly undo everything you just did. It’s hard to keep up with, especially if you are balancing work and school on top of that like so many of us are.
I have finals this week. I thought finals were bad before I had Logan! Finding time to study can be daunting. I can’t spend the six hours a day I spent before Logan was born. What three year old is going to leave me alone for six hours to study? On top of studying how am I going to keep the house clean, get the laundry done, make dinner, feed the baby, get papers written, and entertain the baby?
It’s amazing we ever find time for ourselves anymore. But tonight something special happened. As my list kept getting longer and I could feel the stress building higher and higher my son came and took my hand and sweetly said, “Mommy, can you take me to the temple?” (He likes to throw pennies in the fountain there.) In that moment all the stress fell away. We weren’t there very long; less than an hour, but it gave me some time to spend focused on just the two of us. Our kids grow up so quickly, the stress will always be there, it’s part of life, but the important thing is that we are able to set everything aside to have those few moments with our children even amidst the chaos. Those are the moments they’ll remember for a lifetime.