Mommy Guilt

The kids are all riled up today. Maybe it's the season change - the weather is getting nicer out and they have spring fever. Today seems like a particularly loud day. As I sit here writing, it makes it hard to concentrate to hear the kids arguing with each other and just having loud voices in general while they play. We've had to tell them several times to quiet down as it's getting quite aggravating, especially our two year old who doesn't know the meaning of inside voice yet or how to share successfully 100% just yet.

Well, our two year just came out to talk about playing "bobots" (robots). She sees her older brother and sister playing their fight 'em robots over the baby gate beyond where she can go and tells me all about it. I tell her to go watch them play but to do it quietly. She walks away with tears in her eyes and says, "sorry." Talk about breaking your heart! I call her back and she doesn't come right back.

When I go to get her, she is walking slowly back towards me trying not to cry, biting her lip with eyes welling. Talk about mommy guilt! Then the knife twists further as she says "sorry" again as I pick her up. Her dad and I melt and give her hugs and tell her we're sorry.

We let our impatience with the noise level while trying to work come out in our voices and we hurt her feelings. She'd apologized for being loud twice with big tears in her eyes. We hugged her as I tried not to cry myself.

So for a reminder to the parents out there who get caught up working, stop and give your kids attention and a hug. We know work is important but stopping to give them a few minutes of your time makes all the difference in the world to their little hearts. Hearing this tiny little girl say "sorry" with tears in her eyes had me in tears.