Having Kids Slows Us Down, But Maybe That’s the Point

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A mom slowing down and reading a book with her kids with a flashlight. It often feels like there are too many things to get done in a day and not enough time. We can live like life is one giant checklist, and each day is a chance to check things off. In our rush to finish everything, kids never seem to get our sense of urgency. They get distracted by a toy or book, move too slowly to tie their shoes, need to use the bathroom one more time, and want to grab one more snack.

Having kids slows us down, but maybe that’s the point. It’s easy to yell at our kids and tell them to hurry up. It’s harder to look at our schedules and wonder if we’re trying to do too much.

When kids move slowly, it can mean one of two things. First, it can mean that they are overwhelmed. They cannot keep our pace because processing and doing things takes them longer. Second, moving slowly can mean they are enjoying the moment and not ready to move on to the next thing.

Both scenarios should cause us to pause. Are we trying to fit too much into our days? Who says that busier is better?

I never felt this more than years ago when my kids were little. I got my two toddlers dressed and fed and rushed out the door to make an art class at a nature center and animal farm. We sat in traffic and were a little late, so we had to rush by the animals to make it to the class. When we got out, I wanted to push them through the farm again to hit the playground and have lunch. However, our art instructor talked about the baby goats born a few days ago. We decided to stop by to see them “quickly.”

When I tell you my two kids sat there and played with the goats for over an hour, I had to fight every urge to move on to the next thing. But why? Why did I have a self-imposed schedule on our day off to go to the playground, eat lunch, rush home, and go on to the next thing? Why couldn’t we stop here and just “be?”

My kids are older now, and there are more of them, so our schedules get busy easily. We don’t often have the time to sit at an animal farm for hours. But how many times throughout the day can I remind myself to stop and pause?

If my son tells me a story about his day, can’t I stop the hustle for a few minutes and give him my full attention instead of half-listening? If I’m always pulling my daughter off the playground to rush her to gymnastics, does she actually need to go? Can we cut gymnastics out of the schedule and use the playground instead?

Our kids can remind us to slow down in our fast-paced hustle culture. Where can we stop and edit our schedules if they are tired and overwhelmed? If they are happy where they are, why are we always rushing to move on to the next thing?

Have your kids caused you to slow down? Do you think it’s important to keep pushing, or do you consider where to cut back?

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