My children 👶👪 say a lot of things…

Follow me.
Play with me.
Look at me.
Watch me.
See me.
Come with me.
Find me.

My children don’t say a lot of things.

Love me.
Guide me.
Laugh with me.
Protect me.
Fight for me.
Don’t give up on me.
Put the phone down for me.
Notice me.

It’s not always easy. Motherhood can sometimes feel like a multitasking circus and I cannot juggle it all.

And sometimes, all I really want is to just be noticed.

I want someone to notice me.

Notice I’m struggling.
Notice I’m trying.
Notice I need help.
Notice that I did my best.
Notice that I made the effort.
Notice that I’m here.

I think sometimes my kids just want to be noticed too. And while I may think I’m noticing them, sometimes I am not.

Sometimes I too busy trying to clean up or do the dishes or prepare dinner or finish up the laundry. Sometimes I tell them ‘hold on’ then forget or ‘just a minute’ that turns into an hour. Sometimes I’m noticing everything around me that I’m not fully noticing them.

And they deserve to be fully noticed.

And that’s the thing about motherhood. We try to notice everything…do everything…be everything. We are constantly giving it our all. We are on constant notice!

But maybe it’s the little things we need to notice most. The bad behavior might be a cry for attention. The silent treatment might be a fight with a friend at school. The short fuse might be anxiety about an upcoming test. The big attitude might be struggling to feel like they fit in.

My kids may not say all the things they need from me. And I will try my best to notice. But they’ll always have is my love.

And that is the one thing from me they’ll never have to notice. Like the moon at night, it will always be there.

Words: New Adventures in Motherhood.
Art Illustration: O Trocatintas.