This morning was no different than any other morning.  It started off at 5:05 am with Colty running into our room in his normal super excited to see us way.  I usually get up anywhere between 5:00 am and 5:20 am so I decidted to get up.  As soon as I did Myleigh and Kinley came out into the living room.  The kids usually chill for the first 10 minutes after getting up and after that it’s ‘game on’.  As a dad it is easy for me to slip into task mode and look at my day as a list of things I have to do…workout, eat breakfast, go to work, run errands after work, come home, do chores…you get the picture.  Today I wanted to let the time with my kids be open.  I usually have some flexibility in my schedule so coming in a half hour later on a Wednesday is never a big deal.  Well today we were inspired.  I noticed the kids setting up their toys all over the house.  If you are like me, the first thing you think of is ‘when am I going to have time to clean this up?’.  Well I watched them and briefly looked over at Kelli as to ask ‘what are they doing?’…and she stated they are playing the IT’S A SMALL WORLD and this is their setup.  I was like brilliant…so I engaged with the kids.  I decided to help them by adding an actual moving cart…which was nothing more than a laundry basket.  The result was a twisting, winding ride showing off various clusters of toys through out the house. It was awesome watching their little imaginations kick into overdrive.  There were plenty of smiles.

Being a big kid now I remember how important it was for my parents to spend time with me.  It was more important for them to spend time with me than to buy me somthing.  I am am a flawed human that get’s caught up in the day to day of life…but today I did something different.  I engaged with my kids for a few minutes.  I am not certain where you may be as a parent but if you are like every other parent who is tired, stressed, over worked and who has slipped into task mode I want to encourage you to step back and engage your child/children.  It matters to them…you matter to them.

In all honesty it reminds me of our relationship with God.  I usually say ‘If I could  just care for and love my kids like He loves me…’ the truth is that being a parent and loving our kids is something we choose to do…and should never be something we have to do.  Kids are crazy…kids are a lot of work…but they are also a blessing.  If parenting has you discouraged just know that you matter to your child/children and that God had YOU picked as their parent before time began.