When my children were very young, and everything seemed hard, I would often have other moms that had been there and done that tell me to enjoy every moment because the time goes by faster than I expect. I look back now and wish I had taken that advice to heart a little more.
It always seems we are eager to get to the next stage as a mom. We can’t wait until they can sleep through the night, and all too quickly, we have sleepless nights because our children are not home.
There are many things I could tell you about preparing to launch your children into adulthood. There are things that I wish I had done better or had done more of. After each stage that our kids “graduate” from, I looked back and thought, I wish I had done that a little differently. However, we can’t focus on what we didn’t do, and we have to remind ourselves that we did the best we could during that stage.
If I could give myself one piece of advice back when I was busy surviving from one day to the next, it would be to invest in your children. We can teach them math, writing, or history. We can teach them how to make their beds, do the dishes, or clean their room. What they need more than anything is for you to listen, wrestle with the big ideas in a safe place, be a guide by example, and enjoy the journey.
An easy way to invest in your children is at the dinner table. Fix a meal together and sit down and visit. Turn the TV off, turn the phones off, and reconnect as a family. It probably can’t happen every night of the week, but it can go on the family calendar and happen occasionally.
Here is a recipe to try for dinner. Assign everyone a job to help with dinner, and enjoy investing time in your family.
Super Nachos
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground sausage
3- 16 oz cans of refried beans
Shredded cheese
Thick and Chunky Salsa
Black Olives (optional)Spray a 9X13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Brown the beef and sausage together, and drain it well. Spread the 3 cans of refried beans on the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer the meat mixture over the refried beans. Layer cheese to taste on top of the meat. If you like black olives, sprinkle them on the cheese. Pour a large jar of thick and chunky salsa over all of it. Then, bake for 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Use as a dip for tortilla chips or make a burrito out of it.
NOTE: the Super Nachos can be a little thin if you don’t drain the meat well or don’t use a thick and chunky salsa.
Before you know it your children will be adults living away from home. But, the phone will ring, and you’ll hear that familiar voice, “Hey, Mom! Guess what happened today?”
