As a Child

I had to post this thought from Hilary's website. I absolutely loved it.

As a Child

Have you ever wondered what you were like as a child? (Maybe you have spent your adulthood trying to make-up for what you were like!) Odds are we all have vague memories of moments from our childhood. But wouldn’t it be fun to see a glimpse, maybe a whole day or a week and really know what we were like.

I’m sure our parents have told us things that summarize our young personalities. “You were always so sweet,” or “You were a daddy’s girl,” or “You never did like people telling you what to do…”

It is strange that we remember so little from when we were little.

Last year about this time, I went on a “date” with my daughter Calli. She was eight at the time. We went to the dollar store and then to Chili’s for dinner. It was so fun to sit and chat at our table for two. We looked over the menus. Calli ordered macaroni and cheese. We talked about all kinds of things. I asked her about school and friends. At one point she started telling me about recess. Calli explained that during recess they played a chasing game. I’ll never forget listening to her giggle through a mouth full of mac n’ cheese as she talked about the fun they had. And at that moment, it occurred to me…

I get to see her as a child. Through the span of eternity, as we are together forever, I will know her as an adult. But, in these few, precious years of mortality, I get to know her as a child. I get to see what she likes to eat, what makes her happy, what makes her sad. I get to listen to what she says. Watch what she likes to play. Help when her homework is hard or classmates aren’t nice.

In his last General Conference address, Elder Ballard said, “…the joy of motherhood comes in moments.”

This realization was certainly one of those joyful moments for me. Since then I have found myself soaking in, taking in more of the moments – watching a little more as my daughters experience life. During dinner, I have caught myself slowing down and just watching them eat. I’ve stopped and observed them playing when they didn’t know I was watching.

As the years pass, I’m sure the memories of these moments will become fuzzy, less vivid. But I’ll know they happened.

So next time you think of it, take a moment and treasure the children in your life. Perhaps you will see things you hadn’t noticed before. Savor the joyful moments that you have the privilege of knowing them…as a child.