Let's all be silly together!

Yesterday after school we had a dance party. We had told them that if they went to school like big boys, no tears, no struggle we would come home and we would dance it up, and "compete"  kids vs. parents. They thought this idea was the coolest idea ever. I remembered when I was young at their age and my favorite thing was when my dad tried to rap lyrics from a song I was listening to in the car. He would blast the music super loud and dance like a maniac and make up silly lyrics to the song. I would laugh so hard that I would cry. It's probably the best memories I have of my dad. All my cousins and friends know that my dad was very strict and firm with me when he had to be, but when he was silly, he was hilarious. Though I didn't get that charisma from him, I still think about all those good times and how much I wish they had lasted longer.  Which is why I have decided to be silly, to be goofy, to be random with my children from time to time as well. Because at the end of the day those are the best memories I can give them, and they won't last long. Eventually, my kids will be tweens and mom and dad being silly will just be embarrassing, and they will ask me to stop, just as I did with my dad. So while they are still young I dance with them, I make up silly songs, I do funny impersonations, and I act like a kid with them. We will play restaurant where I dress up as different costumers who have outrageous personalities or they teach me all of their Fortnite dances which I do terribly, and they get full enjoyment out of my awkward dancing.  I will enjoy this now, when they don't ask me to stop doing it, and they truly enjoy it and love to see me being silly just like them. These are the moments they remember. Every night before bed I ask them what their favorite part of the day was and last night they both said it was the dance party we had after school, where mom and dad were looking like clowns! Seriously, it was a heck of a show.

 I love this age range that they are in. My oldest is 7 years old, and my youngest is 4 years old. Though they are different in many ways, they are also so alike.  But they are both at ages where they still like us and enjoy our presence. They don't ask us to leave them alone, or tell us that we are annoying. They want us around all the time, and they find comfort and happiness with us. To even think about the simple fact that this will change sooner than I know really saddens me, but I know it just comes with growth and its normal. But the constant reminder of it is what pushes me to be more present than ever now, rather than later when it's too late.  I want to fully embrace this time with them, so even if I am exhausted from lack of sleep, I wake them up with a smile and some silly voices along with some cuddles. Even after a long day at work, I pick them up and remember to acknowledge how awesome they did all day at school and tell them I am the proudest mom in the world. When I am bathing them, and they are splashing water all over the floor for the 10th time, I take a breather and remind myself that this will soon come to an end too, and I need to soak it all in, literally with my clothes drenched in soapy water I grab a bucket and join them in the water play. When I put them down for bed, and they ask me to lay with them, I cuddle up and make up a funny story about a talking marshmallow that saves the world from flying zombies. I want to be their escape from the hard stuff, their laughter after the long day at school. They are still so little, and the way they conquer the world so fearlessly and adjust daily to new beginnings really is something extraordinary. Embracing the now is something that can be harder on tough days, long days, stressful days, but its the most important thing you can do with your children. It's something I remind myself daily to do. So go and be silly, and act like a child with them because you never know when they won't enjoy it any longer.