For last one month I was inundated by series of illnesses-ranging from seasonal allergies, flu to a stubborn bug-and it took me a while to gather myself after a long time of feeling crappy. I am alright now, or so I want to believe but before you read on, I have a disclaimer: If you find this particular article uninteresting, blame it on my brain fog! Yes, it is the dullness of my mind, after feeling under the weather.
With the disclaimer off my plate, I can now move forward and share that one thing that I really missed during the spell of illness,was the physical closeness with my family. I did not give much thought to the importance of this connection in my everyday life, until I got sick and I had to quarantine myself for not passing the bug. I missed the hugging and snuggling especially our pre-bedtime routine. Lying alone in the bed did not do good to my affection seeking soul, that was one of the reasons I wanted to get better fast! (and imagine it took me a month)
Laying in my bed with fever, I could hear my kids giggle as my hubby drowned them with his kisses. I felt the void for I could not participate, but smiled thinking of the reason the kids call their dad ‘The Kissing Monster.’
I reminisced the nightly requests from my two kiddos“Will you lay in bed with me?” And my answer to them is mostly yes. Mostly and not always for there are times when I am deeply exhausted and still have chores lined up before I call it a night, and then there are times like these when I am unwell, and I volunteer my hubby to do this instead. There are nights when four of us snuggle in a twin size bed for the bed time reading.
The pre-bedtime ritual with the kids help in slowing our pace and prepare for the much needed snooze. This snuggle time is comforting for all of us, and gives an opportunity for kids to open up and share the day with me. It is at this time that I find out the names of their school friends, the naughty stuff they did, the name of teacher’s pet, the scratches and scrapes on their body from tackling or playing soccer, and their fears and fancies. During this routine, we talk, read and recall all the good things that happened during the day. I try not be judgmental and give my mommy advice during this end of the day routine, and I get to listen to the stuff like this-
– “Mommy, I don’t want to grow up because it would make you old, and then you die! And I don’t want you to die…ever”
-“I want to visit Florida before it drowns.”
-“Knock, knock!” “Who is there?”
“Will you remember me in 10 years?”“Yes sweetie”
“Knock, knock!” “Who is there?”
“See, you forgot me already!”
-“Mommy, I learnt a new word from my friend- ‘wrecked’. My watermelon wrecked when it fell on the ground.”
This nightly routine does not go this smoothly always! There are times when I tuck my munchkins into their beds feeling angry, and I can vouch that I do not feel good about those nights at all. Thank heavens for this does not happen often!
Time flies, so I fathom; And my little boys would turn into tall and handsome teenagers, and at that time these snuggles might seem weird, but I do hope that the years of daily routine encourages them to share the day with me regardless, and remember that my doors are always open to listen.
Photo credit: andika.murandi via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA