Listening

Lately as a mom I’ve been thinking a lot about listening. Such a simple idea. Only problem is that our days are filled with so much noise. There could be a baby crying in the background (sends my hormones into crazy motherbear overdrive) or the TV is on. There are a million distractions. I’ve been trying to really focus on hearing my husband when he talks about something that is stressing him out and hearing my four-year-old when she’s asking me something. Sometimes those little voices can be repetitive and we can tune out things that are important to them.
I think being a good listener is one of the best traits that you can have. In my friendships I really appreciate the people that can just be there and not try to fix everything. Sometimes just hearing, “I’m so sorry that you’re dealing with this right now. I know it’s hard” can instantly make you feel appreciated and loved.  I want to be able to offer that same feeling to my friends and family. It’s a gift.
I’ve been trying to sit down with Matilda when Phoebe is asleep and just “talk.” She says, “How’s your day Mama?” and I ask her the same. She knows it’s undivided time. The other day we played Rapunzle and “Godmother.” She told me I was doing a great job. Haha! You would have peed your pants if you saw how ridiculous I was being. It’s a special memory. It felt really nice to be fully engaged. I forgot about my email and laundry and everything else but my little blonde baby with her wig on. The sweetest.
Is there something that you’ve tried to work on lately?