Spring is in the air. This means lots of things, and brings lots of excitement and anticipation for the weeks and months ahead. But one of the things that excites me the most about the changing season is the opportunity to go through my kids’ closets and swap out clothes for the warmer weather, and take stock of what they have and what they need.
As I was going through this exercise recently, I stopped in the moment and realized how content I was.
I was humming, smiling, tenderly folding and hanging tiny shirts and pants. Sorting tiny socks. I took note of how oddly satisfying it was to me to purge too small clothes, free up some hangers, and make lists for what they need. This may sound weird, but organizing and sorting my kids’ clothes and doing their laundry is one of my very favorite things to do. It is one of the things that makes me most feel like I’m a mother, and that I’m taking care of my babies.
For me the act of folding the little bitty clothes and sorting and organizing what my kids will wear every day is the very essence of motherhood. I love it and I embrace it.
Don’t get me wrong; I am a very busy mom just like you probably are. I work outside the home, I have two kids with activities, and wonderful family and friends to try to spend time with. I am not overly domestic in general. There are many other motherly tasks that I consider chores and have to give myself a pep talk to try to embrace them. Bath time, cleaning the house, organizing toys, and doing the dishes are all things I’d totally delegate if I could. Sometimes even cooking dinner is a task I struggle to embrace joyfully.
But there is just something about the laundry that I love. It is my thing.
I’m curious, what’s your thing? What is the one thing you love to do for your kids that really captures the essence of motherhood for you? Let us know in the comments — we’d love to hear from you!
