Mom | Mature

I say "I love you" like it’s punctuation. I take the video even when I’m embarrassed to be the oldest one at the recital. I sit in the floor even though my knees will hate me tomorrow. I say yes to the cookies. I say yes to the cuddles. I say no to the unnecessary stress.

So I parent with urgency .

I do the math in the dark. When my child graduates high school, I will be the age my own mother was when she became a grandmother. When they get married, I may be walking with a cane. I won't likely be the grandparent who chases them through the park for hours. mature mom

Because I don’t have the luxury of assuming there will be a "later" for everything. I say "I love you" like it’s punctuation

I am not parenting from a place of societal pressure or "what I’m supposed to do." I am parenting from a place of choice. Of finally being ready. Of having stared into the void of a quiet, clean, organized home and realizing it felt empty. I say yes to the cookies

And when my little one looks up at me with those eyes and says, "I love you, Mommy," I don’t hear a clock ticking.

Here is the truth no one whispers: