Choices: Fast Forward or Slow Motion

Life has been crazy lately so the other night, to unwind, my husband put on the movie Click with Adam Sandler. I had no desire to watch it because I had seen it years ago but I found myself slowly being drawn into the storyline. Then it happened, I put my computer and phone away and cried as Adam Sandler’s character realized how much he had missed by fast-forwarding through life. 

Recently my middle daughter sent a photo of herself and her youngest through a text. My husband responded, “You blink and your baby is holding her baby.”  Where did the time go? Did we fast-forward through our children’s lives, too? And while we were pushing the remote of life did we ever pause to take in the amazing moments? 

I am ashamed to be on the other side with adult children and realize how many times I pushed the fast-forward button instead of the slow-motion button. Whether that be hurrying from cuddling while they drank a bottle to propping their bottle up with a blanket because I was in the middle of doing something else and didn’t want to stop. To rushing the toddler stage when they first started learning to do things themselves and I got angry because they were taking too long. It wasn’t their fault that I am a type A person who over-committed to things outside the home. This only added to family stress and cost us more in time, money, and energy most of which had no eternal value or even family pleasure to it. 

What about rushing their school years? Getting upset when they didn’t finish a paper on time, yet never sitting down to teach them time management because I was too busy juggling my own balls, to be sure one didn’t drop. 

Did you know that children are a gift from God? It must be true because it’s in the Bible. Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. Psalms 127:3 (NLT)

Why do we not treat them as a reward? Why do we act like they are a nuisance? Why are we always attempting to get them to the next stage in life before it’s here? 

A familiar saying reminds us to stop and smell the roses. Every time I hear and or say it, I think of an interaction I witnessed between a toddler and her mother a few years ago. I was exiting a fast food establishment as they approached. When I held the door for them, the mother told me they might be a while. I watched them and my tears started to well up as I realized that this mom was allowing her toddler to stop and smell the flowers. This mom was not in a hurry to be first in line or even to rush her little girl from enjoying the small things in life.  This interaction once again made me realize how much I fast-forwarded through my kids’ younger years by rushing them along. 

Now that I have grandchildren who, according to my husband, are our reward for not killing our teenagers. I want to savor every moment.  I want life to hit the slow-motion stage, maybe even the pause button. When my grandchildren are older I want them to know what a gift they are. 

If you are in the parenting process, ask yourself, “Am I fast-forwarding through the stages?” If the answer is yes, push the pause button. Stop and smell the roses.