Enjoy Every Stage of Childhood

Let me share a new page from my life with you today about bedtime games and nostalgia.

You see, our children are wonderful teachers of life. This time, they taught me (yet again) to appreciate and enjoy every stage of childhood. They reminded me of every stage’s transience and beauty.

When my kids were little, they had a favorite game that they always wanted to play at bedtime. And they gave me clear instructions on how to play it right.

It went something like this.

After getting in their pajamas, they used to hide in my bed under the cover while I was in the bathroom finishing up my evening routine. 

When I came into the room, there was a big lump in the middle of my bed. I would have to act surprised to find a giant egg (the hunchbacked cover) there! 

Then I was supposed to wonder out loud about what was inside this big egg, and act a little worried and delighted. A series of ideas followed. Maybe it’s a fluffy red panda. Or a cute capybara. Possibly even a purple-dotted dragon!

Then the egg would start to move and sway, so I would poke around to help it crack, the anticipatory excitement growing.

Finally, out would come a big, beautiful, impressive strange animal! Usually an astonishing mix of real and imagined creatures.

I would be a little scared in the beginning, maybe even trying to send the creature away. But the creature would start acting all cute, as they usually do, and I would give in. I would take it in and love it forever.

This is the game that my kids made up. And it was wonderful and lovely for a long time. 

But then I got tired. I was physically and mentally tired from the long day AND tired of playing the same exact game over and over for months on end. 

So at one point, I stopped faking enthusiasm and I was playing my part half-heartedly. Of course, the kids noticed. Duh! 

And eventually, they stopped playing the game. 

For a while, I regretted not giving it my all even when I didn’t feel like it. Initially, I felt guilty, thinking that my kids stopped playing the egg game because of my lack of cheerful participation. 

But to be honest, they stopped playing it simply because they outgrew it. So then I felt sad for my kids growing so quickly. And outgrowing their sweet, innocent games.

I miss playing that stupid game so much now! And it’s not because it was such a fun game. But because it’s part of a stage in my kids’ lives that I can no longer witness.

These days I try to be fully mindful when I’m with my kids. 

They don’t want me to play pretend anymore, which I’m secretly grateful for because it’s always been somewhat challenging for me. But we still play. Or they want to show me something they made or learned. And they want to tell me about their troubles and fun experiences. 

And then I sit close, I look at them with my full attention and I show interest. 

I no longer want to feel like I blinked and I missed an entire period of my kids’ lives. 

Parenting can be so hard sometimes. And every stage in our children’s development has its difficulties. But if we remember that they all pass, maybe we can get through them with more patience. 

Because when I’m old, I don’t want to say, “I wish I had been there for my kids.” Instead, I want to say, “I enjoyed every stage of my kids’ childhood fully.”