Summer!!!

Fresh air

Sunshine

Warmth

Family, friends,

and yummy food

 

All the big hugs

I am looking forward to the new, as always. Of starting a new chapter. Certainly of leaving behind 2020. Of a fresh calendar filled with holidays and birthdays. I have goals, dreams, ideas of what a good year would look like but no list of resolutions, besides one. My resolution for 2021 is to say yes to all the big hugs.

To be more specific, I will be saying yes to all of my little Wren's big hugs. Our little girl is a smart one! She potty trained around 20 months and quickly realized she could use the desperate call of, "poo poo," to get out of just about any uncomfortable situation. She'd be done eating, want out of her high chair, and despite the fact that everyone else was still enjoying dinner she'd do the call, "poo poo." She'd be getting sick of her car seat and start the alarm, "poo poo!" She'd be in bed for the night but not want to sleep... yep, "poo poo." She found out right quick that poo poo could get her out of just about anything. Because lets be real, my potty trained 20 month old isn't going to be told, "No, you can just hold it."

A good ten months has elapsed since the call of poo was first utilized and she's moved on to more crafty methods. Thus I introduce the big hug. Just about anytime she's gotten herself in trouble she gives a little pout and sadly asks, "big hug mom mom?" I mean, tugging at your heart strings always works right? If she wants me to stop doing something, like cooking dinner, or folding laundry, anything, you name it, little Wren needs attention, so, "big hug mom mom?" She uses, "big hug?" to try and get out of bed at night. She uses "big hug" for all the things she used to us the "poo poo" alarm for. Generally she's not really wanting a hug (sometimes she is but generally) "big hug" is a method to get at something or out of something she wants.

Most of the time my little Wren gets her big hug. Come on, I'd have to have a heart of ice to say no to her little ploy but sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes, without saying so, I let her know that I am on to her little game and she won't be winning this match. Sometimes the disciplinarian comes out. I mean, that's my job right? Yeah, maybe... The other day I said no, or that she could wait a few minutes. I was going to finish up what I was working on in the other room, not drop what I was doing and come give her a hug. But as she walked away on the other side of the baby gate I had this thought, if she were gone, if something had ever happened to this precious gift I'd regret it every day for the rest of my life that I'd said no to her request(s) for a "big hug." I would. I'm certain of that. Additionally, the poo poo alarm has mostly been abandoned and lets be real, the big hug ploy won't go on forever either. Sometime sooner than I could ever realize I am going to desperately miss her constant inconvenient requests for a big hug. At that moment, when I told her no, I made this year's resolution. I will say yes to all of the big hugs.

It's so little, right? It's so simple. I mean, she might ask for a "big hug mom mom," 30 times in a day but I can stop what I'm doing every single one of those 30 times to say, "yes." I can wash the bubbles off my hands. I can push the laundry aside. I can let her get up from her pillow at night or get a little ketchup on my shirt (while she sits there eating dinner and needing a big hug). And I will. I will say yes to all the big hugs.

Happy New Year!!!
I hope yours is filled with big hugs too