Three Voices, One Mom

It never seems to fail. The moment there’s even a second of silence, all the kids start talking at once.

The teenager wants to tell you about the updated plans they have this week. Keep in mind, you didn’t even know those plans existed in the first place.

The middle one wants to fill you in on the new group of friends they have. Gotta love the middle school gossip.

And the youngest wants to show you their new dance moves. It mainly consists of flipping on the couch and twirling, but you say it’s the best dance you’ve ever seen.

Then there you are, standing in the middle of the kitchen trying to decide who to listen to first. I usually find myself wondering whose story will take the least amount of time. That way I can squeeze everyone in before someone gets frustrated and stomps off. Because then I know I’ll feel bad and end up explaining that I’m just trying to give each of them a chance to tell me about their day.

As parents, we know it’s not really about whose story is going to be the quickest. It’s about making sure all their little voices are heard. Kids don’t remember who went first, but they do pay attention to see if you stopped what you’re doing long enough to actually listen.

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At least mine do anyway. Then they come back and ask me questions just to see if I was really listening.

In the moment, at least for me, it’s overwhelming. I struggle with trying to process all the voices at once, because all of a sudden, it’s loud. Who said what? What should my response be? And how do I pause whatever I’m doing long enough to give them my full attention without losing the task I was working on?

Hmmm…maybe it’s moments like that when we as parents forget the most important thing. They don’t need us to get every moment perfect. They just need to know that even in the chaos, we’ll stop and listen to them. 💖

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This post was previously published on medium.com.