“Mama, I want you to huggle me.”
This is what my little one says when he reaches out for some love. What is a huggle? It’s simply a Hug + Cuddle. And it’s the absolute best kind of embrace.
I’m not sure where my kids first heard the term huggle. It may very well have been something they made up, as kids do when they’re trying to find the right words to express themselves. Especially when they are little and their vocabulary is limited, the word-smash combinations they come up with are so creative and actually quite appropriate. Like huggle. Perfect. And now it’s a part of the daily language in our home.
The best huggles happen at bedtime. After their dinner, bath, and book routine, I settle in with them to cuddle up and just enjoy how sweet and precious they really are. I talk to them, hear their stories, am really in the moment. I’m so grateful I get to be their mama. They are little once. They have one childhood and I thoroughly savor these moments. Even if I’ve had an exhausting day, and half of my to-do-list is still undone, and I may even have put myself in time-out that day, I’ve come to this moment at the end of the day, and it always gives me perspective.
What really matters most?
Is it that I get one more post on social media, or that I finish picking up the hundreds of Legos that I keep stepping on (why are they so tiny?), or that I didn’t drop off the over-due library books (again!)? No. It’s all ok. The real questions are: Did my children feel the love? Do they know how special they are? Because nothing is more important to me than showing my kids they matter and me being completely present when I am with them. Very quickly they will stop saying “mama, carry me”, “read me one more story”, “tell me about when I was a baby” and “come play with me”. Very quickly I will miss them saying “can I help you cook?”, “let’s make a fairy garden” and “look at my flip-over (somersault)”.
During the chaos and the mess of the daily juggle, I remember to enjoy this season of life we are in and to recognize that this time is actually very short.
Their little personalities emerge in the funniest and sweetest ways. They have so many precious characteristics, but if I had to pick one word for each, I’d pick:
For my daughter: Dreamer, so full of love and light. If you meet her, she will likely sprinkle you with “pixie dust” (glitter) in hopes that you will fly. It will take many shampoos to get that out of your scalp. And for my son, I would choose Destruct-o-saur, because he’s a charming bundle of energy. It’s very common to hear a loud Bang! Crash! from the other room, quickly followed by, “Mama, I ok!!”
These priceless little moments with my loves are what collect together to make my perfect day.
Sometimes when it’s a really stressful day and someone’s sick and I’m late on meeting a deadline… I remember the huggle. I remember to slow down and embrace the little joys in life.
Want an easy way to capture the little joys and focus on what matters most?
Embrace What Matters Most.
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