I’ve been traveling A LOT lately – the last few months have been a whirlwind…and my biggest challenge has been finding time to really connect with my children. Technically, I am connected everyday when I’m at home with them doing normal mommy duties – like bathing them, putting them to sleep, feeding, etc…and I even stay connected when I’m on the road via calls and FaceTime. But what I’m talking about is a deeper connection outside of normal mommy duties…like just having a fun day and bonding with my kids…with no outside pressures of deadlines I have to meet or worrying about emails that I need to return. The type of connection that you have with your child when they are truly the sole focus. And I decided that those moments won’t just happen…unfortunately in this day and age where everything goes so fast – you have to schedule it like a meeting…or a date with your kids.
This past weekend – I made up in my mind that I would take a day to do just that. I wanted to do something fun and create a new experience that they haven’t had. So I decided to take them to the Miami Children’s Museum. The first step in me having this connection with them was having NO HELP. If you need it, by all means get it. But for me, I tend to have a lot of help around – I call them The Village. Whether it’s my Dad, the nieces, my sister, a cousin or an aunt…I roll with a tribe! And when you have a lot of help around…you tend to LEAN IN on them because you figure – BREAK TIME! But, with my husband out working on a photography project, I was going all in tackling this adventure with an 11.5 month old and a sassy 2.5 year old! (for full disclosure, my stepson is with us for the summer and although he is not considered help, he did his fair share to help keep an eye out when I needed to get ready or pack the car!)
As busy working moms – it’s a challenge to stay connected and in the moment with our children. It’s hard to balance our work lives, home lives, personal lives and keep everyone happy in the process. But nothing replaces that time spent with our children. The time we spend building a deeper connection, a true bond with our kids, will last a lifetime. And as fast as our kids are growing up – remember to make small moments – big moments. Block off time and do family dates…and when you do them – BE ALL IN.
A few snapshots from our day at the museum….
