Just BE...

In my post today titled Summer Is Here, I mentioned that Dancer is attending a week long morning art camp. What I didn't mention was having to get up so early to be there. I woke up around 7am, this is extremely unusual for me, and got myself cleaned up. Then I went in to wake Dancer up. She had to wait until her dad was out of the bathroom before she could start getting ready to go. So, I gave her a nice long back and kneck massage and then when I was finished she asked me if I would stay in her room with her. She just wanted me in there while she did some ninja fighting on her Naruto PS2 game.

I have to tell you, my idea of a good time is NOT watching fake ninja violence from a video game. LOL. BUT I chose the opportunity to just BE with my daughter while she was doing something that she enjoyed. It's sooooo easy to just BE with your baby and toddler. As they grow older and gain more independence, we tend to lose that time to just BE with our kids. My girl will be turning 13 next month. She's already begun the hermit stage where she just wants to do her own thing most of the time and would prefer to be left alone while doing it. I respect that completely but I see that I must seize the opportunities for me to just BE with her, even if it's on her terms in her way.

I challenge you to seize the fleeting opportunities to just BE with your kids. Here I am choking back tears because my girl will one day not be in my life on a daily basis. I see the time fleeting away. I cannot turn back the clock but I can make sure that I take every opportunity to just BE with my daughter now... while she's still here.