Reply to Enjoying time with young children

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[quote=Anonymous]I have to remember to enjoy certain fleeting moments more than complete experiences. Like there are days where my favorite time with one of my my kids is when she snuggled up against me after throwing a fit over something exhausting. But I just try to remember the sweet snuggles and forget what happened before.

When we go out to eat, we delight over the 10 minutes that our kids happily interact while we sip margaritas, and then just grin and bear it through the 30 minutes of trying to get them to eat any of the food we ordered and prevent a fight over who is sitting where.

I will say the one activity that can sometimes result in an actual complete enjoyable experience is hiking or other outdoor activities. Toddler in the backpack carrier, easy hike so preschooler doesn't get too exhausted, bring lots of snacks, make an agreement with spouse that neither of us will look at our phones during the hike, include a destination like a waterfall or a beach so there can be a beach and playing, make sure to go first thing in the morning when everyone is in a relatively good mood and not overtired or starving. It doesn't always work but it has a much higher likelihood of working than most other activities we do as a family.

And other than that, I just try to stay in a kind of mindful state that allows me to enjoy the little moments of humor, love, sweetness, and tenderness in between the chaos and exhaustion.There will come a day when my kids aren't so prone to tantrums, whining, and fighting (hopefully, if we do our job right). But at that point, I probably won't get the unique joy of having a sweaty and happy 3 yr old pass out on my lap after sharing an ice cream cone and watching fireworks. Don't let the tough stuff overshadow all the good stuff. It's there. [/quote]

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