Love, Your family

There has been something pulling at my heart strings for a few days now.  I feel like it takes, about that long for me to process and then be able to ‘correctly’ verbalize my thoughts.  If you were paying attention to my last post, I hinted on it just briefly but, I cannot stress this enough; your kids need you.  I am not just talking in the Mom perspective, this includes; Dads, grandparents and anyone in a role where they have growing kids looking up to them.  Your family needs you.

 I grew up surrounded by family and if they weren’t blood relatives, they were around and apart of my life enough that they were considered family.  I have more aunts than what could be possible biologically but, they are family. 

My cousin Nicole is pregnant with her first baby and there was a huge baby shower planned for her growing family but, due to the virus; all plans were cancelled.  The caterer, the hall, the games, all of it.  However, today, she had a ‘drive up’ baby shower.  Her set up was adorable, she was smiling ear to ear and she wore that cute baby bump proudly.  Her family was there for her.  My eyes filled with tears as I scanned the pictures because I could feel the love and support radiating off the photos. 

Her shower made me think about when I was pregnant with my first.  I went into labor and they sent me home because I wasn’t dilated enough.  I called my parents as soon as I left the hospital and they had a plan in place.  They packed in a van with my sisters and my brother in law and drove the 8 hours from Brookhaven, PA to Camp Lejeune, NC.  They didn’t care about the time of day or who was due to go into work.  They left home and came to support and love on me and my growing family during the time I needed them most.  I don’t know if I ever looked at it that way before.  I don’t know if I considered how selfless they were at that time to think about nothing but being there for me. You can bet I will be calling those who were there to support us for the births of all six of our babies, first thing tomorrow morning to let them know how much I appreciated them being there.

 My parents and my sisters have been there anytime I have called and asked for their help.  My sister will welcome our 6 kids for a week so me and the hubs can get away, WITHOUT hesitation. Like, not even a let me think about it, her very quick answer is always, yes.  My other sister will drive down here in a heartbeat if I needed her to.  She will load up her car, her daughter and the pup and head south.  My dad has visited every single time the hubby had a training event or deployment so he can help me to hack away at my “honey do” list or to be with me and the kids during a hurricane.  That is what family does, and I probably could never thank them enough.

Now that the kids are home I can’t think of a better thing that I would rather be doing.  I won’t always get to kiss them goodnight or see their beautiful sleepy eyes in the morning when they first wake up.  I won’t always be able to kiss their boo-boos and make everything better with a snuggle but, I know that being there for them now and continuing to do so as they grow is the ticket.

During this time of quarantine, as I said before; turn the TV off, put the electronics away, delete your FB app for a day and spend time with your kids.  That’s all they want.  They want you to; laugh with them, to hug them, watch a movie and maybe play a game with them.  They want your undivided attention for as long as you can give it to them. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.  Say your prayers and give those babies some extra snuggles!

Love,

Ce