What Happens When Mom Takes a Step Back

When I take a step back as mom, interesting things happen.

Yes, we have our fair share of messes and more than enough brokenness and destruction to go around! But we also have some incredibly creative, hilarious, and special moments. Childhood is magical and it is so fun to get glimpses of the world through their eyes when my kids have the freedom to let their imaginations run wild. This is a fun look back at a handful of my favorite memories of my kids being independent little creatures.

It didn’t take long for our first child (and the cat) to pick up on my joy in snooping on the neighbors….

…..and at our Battle Ground house there was always something interesting happening whether it was the landscaping crew for the townhomes across the street or the presence of EMS and/or police.

Between what they hear about from my experience as an emergency nurse and what they’ve witnessed in the community, they set up their own “ambulance.” There’s a backboard, c-collar, box of “doctor tools,” and even an ID band.

At first glance, the next pictures look like they are pretending to feed livestock. In reality, each animal had a designated puke bowl and they were practicing “making it into the bowl.” Our family got hit with a GI bug in late 2019 and it made quite an impact on them. They were reenacting it for months!

Ruby’s obsession with mazes last fall made entering and exiting our home like a reenactment of a scene from The Matrix.

Creativity reigns around here in the fashion department.

Accessories are also important, especially if they’re safety equipment. The kids “borrow” ear protection whenever ear muffs are left within reaching/climbing distance.

Speaking of “borrowing,” I’m always finding treasures that the kids bring home from Grandma and Grandpa’s house-without permission. Last Christmas we painted a nativity for each set of grandparents. This sparked a major infatuation with Baby Jesus.

Someone (that I won’t name) swiped Baby Jesus right out of the manger, stuck him in her backpack, and brought him all the way back home from Yakima. Going forward, I announced to the kids, I would be searching all backpacks before leaving from now on. The next trip, the same kid was very curious about Grandpa’s exercise band and wouldn’t leave it alone. I followed through on my promise to search backpacks before leaving and I was surprised that no one tried to sneak the exercise band home. I was even more surprised when I got home and opened MY suitcase…..

On the subject of exercise equipment:

Our three daughters are all excellent little mamas. They can tell you elaborate stories about each of their “kids.”

Lines and lines of babies….

…..but my heart swells with so much joy when I see them choosing to read books ❤️

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Still Motherhood”.