Enjoy Your Children!

So I'm up early in the morning.  It's 6:30 right now, but I was actually up at 5:30.  Not sure what gives.  Anyway, I guess I will give this time to writing now that I've done some reading.  I am still reading.  I've put away A Call to Spiritual Reformation for awhile.  Honestly the author uses some big vocabulary words.  I am half way through it though and I will try to finish it this summer.  Instead I've started reading Femenine Appeal and I must admit the author has some good things to say about being a wife and mother.  The part that I've been most impressed by is that she says "we are to love our children with a tender, affectionate, and passionate love." She comments that as mothers we're committed to caring sacrificially for our children, yet we neglect to enjoy them.  This part was very personal to me.  I find myself doing this often.  In my mind I have cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc to do.  My kids need food, a clean home, clean clothes, etc.  This is my way of showing them love, but what I am forgetting is that I need to sit down and play with them, read more than just one or two books before bedtime, and ENJOY them.  I've said it before but I have been blessed with two amazing children.  They are funny!  They along with their daddy can make me laugh like nobody else.  Sadly I must admit that I've put my responsiblities of caring for them ahead of taking pleasure in my status as their mother.  After I read this part the other day I kind of sat back in my mind and observed myself the next day.  I got the kids up out of bed, made their breakfast and got them ready for school, gave them kissess and told them I love them in between, dropped them off at school, went back after school to pick them up, got them home, started laundry, cooked dinner, gave them their baths, watched a tv show or two with them, read a book to them, said prayers with them, and put them to bed.   Yes, I told my kids I love them.  In fact they probably get sick of how much I say it.  Yes, I read a book with them.  Yes, we prayed together.  But it felt more like I was checking things off a list.  We never really sat down together, outside of watching tv, and played or enjoyed each other.   In my defense this is not so everyday.  Josh and I are good about planning activities to do as a family.  We sit down and eat dinner together at the table most nights.  Sometimes we eat out.  Sometimes we take the kids to the park.  We've also been to the zoo, the museum, etc. But as far as daily quality time with each other I can't say I've done that.  So that is something that is going to change in our house.  You may find me on the computer less and playing trains with D or baby dolls with L.  You may find us baking cookies together.  You never know.  The point is...I'm going to put my children ahead of all my responsibilities where they belong.  I believe this is the time where I can be teaching them meaningful life lessons and gently directing them towards God.  Especially while they are young I need to develop my relationship with them.  Mothers have an enourmous influence on their children, whether it be good or bad.  And I will stop there because that is a whole different soap box!