{Mommy} Time

"My child is my life"

It's a quote I've run upon a lot recently in my bedtime routine blog perusing. It's a quote that both rings true and confuses me. I've spoken these words myself, but now it's making me think.

     What's the real meaning of this quote?

          How should we be using it?

I also recently broke out the glitter and paints.

                                                                         And that's when it all come together.

My child IS my life, she's my everything. This doesn't have to mean I put my entire life on hold while I teach her to be amazing. In fact, how can I teach her to be amazing if I'm not?

Along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, I want my child to learn to be inquisitive and take chances; to be strong and independent, yet compassionate and giving; to know herself, her limits and to test them often; I want her to learn to be herself, and be proud of herself. These are not lessons she can read or hear and learn, these are lessons you can only learn through experience and observation.

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." 

                                                                 - James A Baldwin

I have learned {there she goes teaching her mom lessons again} that I have to continue to be me. And this is where my glitter and paints came in. I LOVE to craft, and I mean LOVE. I've been called Martha a time or two {minus the jail time}. And in the last few days, these small projects have been completed. {Sorry for the bad pictures}.

I need to continue these things to show Madison the woman she can be. The things she can do, and how to live a fulfilling life. I can't tell her that, I have to show her.

Does this mean that I'm going to start taking a girls night every month or more away time without her? No. Because quite frankly that was never me. It beyond frustrates me when people tell me I need more time away from her. I don't, I just need more time to do what makes my heart sing. And that's create.

With her, without her. Doesn't matter. I just need to remember to be me. So she can learn to be her.

What do you do to make sure your children see you being you?