And now I regret it. I regret not feeling your sweet breath as you cuddle close and your warm little hands wrapped around me.
There are many moments in a parent’s life when we dismiss questions, whines, and cries. There are so many times when we just want to get on with it and not be bothered by more demands. There are always those moments when we “should have” been more attentive but were too fed up or worn out to follow through.
And such is the beautiful contradiction of parenting. There is so much time that we want to ourselves yet so little time to really connect with our children.
Those opportune moments come and go, the days flow by, and the nights where we have the chance to hold our children close will not last forever.
I should have said yes.
And next time I will say yes. I will pull you up into my arms and deal with the elbow in my ribs and the feet kicking mine. I won’t worry about this becoming a pattern or how much sleep I get.
I will just hold you and know that these nights will soon be gone.
Originally published HERE. Michelle writes and shares about parenting, step-parenting, society, trends, culture, health, relationships, beauty, and more at her website The Pondering Nook. You can see her featured blogs on The Huffington Post, Stepparent Magazine, PairedLife, Role Reboot & Your Tango, and follow her on Facebook. She is also a co-host at The Broad’s Way Podcast where they discuss similar topics plus much more!
