What Matters Most

In a previous post I mentioned the benefits of sensory play and how a baby is born ready to learn through their senses.  Well, my baby loves to use her sense of touch to make messes...so sometimes I find myself limiting those fabulous learning opportunities so I don't have to clean up the mess!  A little while ago she was having an extra grouchy day so I decided to let her go hog wild in a bowl of water.  She LOVED every second of it, soaked her clothes and the floor and everything else within a 2 foot radius, and her pure joy made the little bit of extra clean-up totally worth it!

I read an article in the Deseret News the other day about a mom who hid all her play dough in the far, dark corner of her garage and cringed any time her children asked to pull it out.  It made a mess and all the colors got messed up and she simply hated it.  But, after dragging it out for her youngest son and spending a glee filled morning playing with him, she realized that you don't have to love all the activities you do with your kids.  You just have to love your kids and enjoy the relationship you build with them when you do the things you don't particularly love, that's what being a mom is all about.  As I read that article, I thought of my soaking wet baby and all the happiness she had while making a huge mess and I smiled in agreement.  You don't have to love it all, you just have to love what matters most.