"The Police said it best when they said,
"Every breath you take/And every move you make/Every bond you break, every step you take/I'll be watching you".Write about a time you believed someone was watching you."
I chose this writing prompt from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop, because I couldn't get the song out of my head for two days after I read this prompt! And now I am tossing the ball over to you.
PLEASE don't leave a line from an 80's song in the comments. It will be stuck in my head for eternity!
Their Watchful Eyes
It's no secret.
I whine about my daughters' habit of rising at 4a.m. every morning.
I beg my readers for advice on how to get them to sleep in.
I blog about how tired I am, how grumpy I am, and how by 5 a.m. I am reduced to a bad-momma, letting my girls watch a movie so early in the morning.
But what I don't often write about is how much I love cuddling with my girls.
By 4a.m. my two-year-old is in bed with me, wanting both of my arms wrapped around her. She sings to me. She says "Dora" over and over, wanting to go downstairs to hear "Come on Vamanos."
And then by 4:30a.m. my four-year-old is laying in bed with us, cuddled up on my husband's pillow. She says "Mama, I slept in like a teenager!" or "I get to choose the first movie."
And in that brief moment their eyes are completely on me, waiting for me to start our day.
Every breath you take, Mama, and my two-year-old matches it.
Every move you make, Mama, and both of my daughters shift around my 24 week pregnant belly.
Every bond you break, every step you take, Mama, and both of my daughter raise their voices in protest if I try to curl up on my side away from them, trying to fool myself into thinking I can fall back asleep for even just one minute.
I'll be watching you, Mama, and I sit up.
The day has begun.
So my two-year-old runs to my closet and grabs my bra.
"Mama, bra!" she shouts.
My four-year-old turns on the bathroom light for me.
"Mommy, watch this!" she shouts, twirling in front of the closet mirror.
And downstairs I hear our Sheltie puppy begin to whine.
Our house is a chorus of chimes and whistles. It is a home of watchful eyes, never letting me out of their range for very long. I once wrote on my blog about being Tethered to the Umbilical Cord. Both of my daughters and I go back and forth with being inseparable and independent.
And I know one day their eyes won't be so watchful of me. One day my husband and I will wake up in our bed longing for those little arms and legs wrapped around ours. One day I will read this post and have tears in my eyes.
In the not-so-distant future, my girls will be springing not toward me, but away from me.
20 comments:
loved reading this! some day you can sleep more...if I recall, you always used to wake up early, right?
now I'll have that song in my head for awhile....love, Julie
Ah, Kim, I love this post. I'm in my queen bed, with my three little ones, as I read this.
You're so right -- one day, we will long for these moments.
Now, I'll have Sting in my head all day!!!
Wonderful post Kim. Your relationship with your daughters is truly a blessing. I can feel your great love and adoration of them both. They're very lucky.
Nothing beats the 100% pure love of a child for their Mother, it is such a wonderful thing to see. A Father gets a similar love, but, it's not the same, it doesn't have the depth or the special bond that exists between a Mother and child, especially girls.
I don't know who is watching me, but, I try to model the Golden Rule each day as best as I can. If a young person is watching, I want them to see people doing the right thing. I think that is why I was once a teacher and now help college students seek Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships. We want our young people to have noble goals and seeing how you love your girls and they love you is just so precious.
That was so sweet! As exhausting as these kiddie can be, their sweetness is undeniable. And I hear you on the 4 AM thing; my little girl does that periodically and it's so hard!
You are so right. Enjoy it while you can. I have three daughters and they are all grown and flown the coop now. My oldest who is married will still crawl in bed between us sometimes when she and her husband come to visit. Never ceases to bring a smile to my face or a tear to my eye! I so enjoyed reading this.
Stopping by from Mama Kat's.
What a wonderful reminder about how frustrating impossible our lives and loves can be and how lucky we are to be living it but still wanting some space. We know how precious these years are and how quickly they will be gone - laughter and tears - beautiful post.
New follower from Mama Kat :)
Awww, I have tears in my eyes reading your post...so sweet. But 4 a.m.? Dang, that's early!! What time do they go to bed?
So so sweet. Those little girls love you. But I have to say, 4a.m. would KILL me! My kids watch TV when they get up early too, but it's like 7 a.m. Hang in there! Some day you won't be able to get them out of bed.
Coming by from Mama kat's.. I loved this but I have to disagree when she said she sleeps in like a teenager.. My teens are asleep LOONNNGG past 4 am lol
Wow, We should all think that way. Thank you for stopping by. :D
One day, they will stop looking to you for approval and advice, and will go off on their own...but once they see that it's not so easy on their own, they'll be back to tell you how good you were to them.
Enjoy the cuddling while you can!
I love that, "I slept in like a teenager".
I love how you connect you life with the world in your story telling! My favourite time of the day is my son waking me up and cuddling in bed. And even though selfishly, just like you, I could use a bit more sleep, I know what you mean. This right here, right now is perfection.
Oh, someone else who has early risers! Although my girls used to get up around 5:00 am, which is later than your two! Now that they are a little older, they sleep in until 6! What a sweet post.
Thanks everyone for stopping by, and some new bloggers for me to check out! I woke up this morning and remembered this post when I was cuddling with my girls before the sun had risen.
And then today I read an article in Oprah's Sept. issue, "In Praise of Rose-Colored Glasses," and then the reason I wrote this post all made sense to me.
Martha Beck's article discusses having a strength perspective, and finding delight when we are strong. It describes the source of being positive.
And this post, looking at my 4a.m. risers through the lens of being grateful to cuddle with them, to know their eyes are on me, is a delight, despite how tired and wary the early hour makes me feel.
Dawwwww... your babies must be in cahoots with my babies. I try and remember, like you, that one day I will look back and realize their childhood slipped right through my fingers.
Oh my GOD, that is early! I can barely function when one of my boys gets up at 5:30am. I always think those people who are anti-TV must not have kids who get up that early. They can't possibly understand how truly long a day can be when it starts before dawn!
Wow, 4am? That is early! But, this was a great post. Definitely enjoy all the cuddles while you can.
Awww great post :) xx
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