Sit. Stop. Stay :: Demands For Your Attention

“SIT… STOP… STAY.”

Nope, we did not adopt a Border Collie. These particular words are thrown around A LOT during my day. But do you know who’s on the receiving end of them the most of the time?  Not my 2 year old. It’s ME.

I don’t have a full-time, part-time, or any time job right now, (other than being a Mom) and I find myself feeling like there’s ALWAYS something I need to be doing.

I’ve gotten the hang of the basic needs…groceries in the fridge, clothes washed, toilet paper on the roll, food on the table. But it’s the million little things that keep me reeling all day….the overflowing diaper pails that I JUST CHANGED, reloading the wipes dispenser (didn’t I JUST do that, too?), brushing out the dog because OH MY GOSH THE HAIR, sending a “face forward” picture to preschool, calling the nurse about Greyson’s latest mystery ailment, mailing the automatic draft form, refilling the soap dispensers, and on and on. This is all before the first toilet gets scrubbed or the floor is swept. The demands are endless.

My little man will be two this month. And let me tell you, he has some demands too.  But NONE of them are “SWEEP! COOK! CLEAN! FOLD! PLAN!”  You know the ONE verb tells me 90% percent of the time? “SIT.” (He can’t escape his Southern heritage, so with as many syllables as he can manage, its: SEEEAAA-IIT.) He wants me to SIT and PLAY with him.  He wants to take me by the hand and lead me to his next discovery.

Of course in my over analyzing, society-pressured, one-upping mind, I’ve tried to organize “crafts” or “developmental” activities while I SIT. So our “SIT” time is productive, right?  This typically ends up in finger paint EVERYWHERE and me feeling like a failure. OR I just go the opposite route and when I do SIT, let’s just say my “head’s not in the game”…I’m thinking about something else or scheduling the next playdate, doctor’s appointment, etc.

I’ve noticed that my husband even comments about my “constant motion”. The moment he gets home I find myself immediately taking advantage of the extra set of hands and cleaning the kitchen without a toddler under my legs, showering without having to rush, looking at social media, or responding to texts/emails that I haven’t gotten to that day.  Even my hubby would rather me SIT than be “productive”.  How annoyed would I be if HE got home from work and immediately went to another obligation without spending time with us?

I know it’s hard to SIT ladies. And even harder the PLAY when our minds are thinking about all the things on our to-do list. I fail at this EVERY DAY. I know that we crave accomplishment and feel the expectation to have things a certain way in our home. But most of the time, those expectations are ones we’ve put on ourselves.  Hardly anyone else would notice they don’t get done other than you.

So I’m trying. We’re “splish splash-ing” in the puddles, filling the tractor bucket with grass, shoveling mulch around the trees, playing “TAG!” in front yard, racing cars down the driveway, or stacking blocks as high as we can before they “CRASH!!!”  When something is a red circle, I point it out…we count tires on trucks… we say “TRAIN” begins with “T”. I’ve relaxed a good bit and learned that like his other skills, he’ll eventually catch on.

I know a million moms before us have told us to DRINK UP this stage, “It’ll be gone before you know it!” they say. Indeed, time has already gone by so fast and three more years until Kindergarten seems much closer than it used to.

When I personally think about MY little guy being gone all day it just freezes me.  He’ll grow out of hilariously pointing out my EYESSSS, EARRRS, and NOOOSE. Soon, I won’t be his favorite buddy that he wants to experience everything with.  He’ll be chasing after his friends. He’ll be shooing me off while he walks into school or onto the sports field saying “GO Mom!” So for now I’m gonna SIT. AND STOP. AND STAY.