The delightful treasures I found in my pocket today
Today I came home from a walk with my little ones, and when I went to empty my pockets here’s what I found:
A large shell
Two puzzle pieces
A pencil
A handful of flowers
Three marbles
A laminated purple hand
An unidentified wrapper
Many, many, many tiny pebbles
It’s not the first time, but something was just different today and I couldn’t help but look at the pile, laughing. I started to think about all the things that are a part of motherhood that - for someone who hasn’t been a mom (or a caregiver) - would probably seem absolutely ridiculous. Finding socks in the freezer, explaining to your toddler that holiday decorations aren’t edible, trying desperately to get your kids to not open the bathroom door on you when there’s company over (“but why not, mama?”). Totally normal, but also… really?!
Here are some of my favorites from the last month. Try this for a laugh: imagine not being a mom, and hearing someone say these in public:
“Please don’t lick your sister’s shoes!”
“No, I’m sorry you can’t pee there.”
“The refrigerator handles are not a jungle gym!”
“Underwear goes on your bum, not your brother’s head.”
There are hundreds more – I think every mom has a collection of gems like this. I don’t know what the equivalent list looks like for a bigger kid, or (God help me) a teenager, but I have to imagine that while the words are different, the feeling of “are these words actually coming out of my mouth right now?!” is the same.
Many times in these moments I’m laughing, but other times I’m bordering on exasperated. (I mean, how many times do you really have to explain to a 22-month-old that shoes aren’t for licking? Apparently quite a few.) But now that I’m sitting here writing these down, I’m realizing: these moments are part of the essence of motherhood. Kids are silly. Motherhood is silly. Raising human beings is, at times, totally ridiculous. That’s part of the magic of it all! Well, that, and the inexplicable sorcery that makes our pockets – which before motherhood could barely hold a cell phone and keys – somehow able to fit all the tiny treasures of a day’s adventures. That one truly boggles my mind. But magic or no, I’m going to treasure these memories and store them away for a day when my kids no longer want to pee on the grass in front of the neighbor’s house.