Finding joy in the every day moments

That’s is a question at the forefront of our minds as we begin the holiday season. And, I’m happy to say, it’s a question that starts early.

Last week, we attended a Thanksgiving feast at our boys’ daycare. Decorating the walls were hand turkeys, with each finger including something for which a child was thankful: reading books, my brother, going to Target with mom, bakery dates topped my twins’ lists.

For my youngest child, our Labrador retriever Annie was at the top of the list (with the exclusion of our older dog, Lottie). Also included were his giraffe stuffed animal and his Moby whale lovey. At the bottom, but at least included, were mom and dad.

The everyday, seemingly routine things are often what stand out in our children’s minds. It’s what they’ll remember as they grow older. But it’s also the things that we take for granted.

I know that my children enjoy bedtime reading. They love to pick out the book they want to read at bedtime; they grab their stuffy; they cuddle close as we read together. But often, I’m ready to be done with the day. Especially after a trying day at work, those moments become steps that we just need to get through. They lose meaning.

And, yet, even in those moments, it’s the time spent together and the routine comfort that our children remember.

This Thanksgiving, I’m trying to be just as thankful for the small moments as my children are. It’s hard to be in the moment and be present, but it’s becoming easier with practice. It’s becoming easier to scroll past the Instagram-perfect ideas and instead figure out what works best for us, right now, in the moments that we have.

Sometimes as parents we get caught up in trying to do it all, especially around the holidays. Last year, I had the vision of perfectly cut sugar cookies, decorated by the children. The dough, of course, was too sticky. The cut cookies spread. The kids only wanted to lick the icing.

In the moment, I was frustrated. Decorating cookies is one of the most iconic holiday memories, and my kids were missing out.

Were they, though? My husband later told me that what he saw was kids helping in the kitchen. Surrounding their mom with sticky hands and faces, they enjoyed sticking their hands in edible play-doh and eating sugar.

This year, I opted for the break-apart, packaged chocolate chip cookies. Break it apart, put it on the pan. Everyone helps.

In the end, what matters are the feelings and comfort that we create. That’s why, when we look at those thankful turkeys, it’s the everyday moments that stand out in their minds.

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