Liz McGowen Blog

I always have “car thoughts”.

You know, those little bits of inspiration that hit you while you’re doing the endless cycle of dropping off and picking up that seems to go along with the role “mom”?

Here are my car thoughts for this morning, as I considered little things I do to show my kids I love them. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

1. Stop multi-tasking and focus on them. I can’t tell you how much better it feels to stop trying to do 18 things at once and allow myself to sit down and read a book or do something with my kids. And the laundry and dishes will still be there.
2. Play. Take time to participate in what your kids are doing. I’ll never forget the time our favorite priest actually took the time to help my daughter put the shoes onto one of her dolls, and neither will she.  He did what was really important in the moment and connected with her. So color the sidewalk. Help with the mud pie. Relax and become a participant rather than an observer.
3. Dance and sing. Secret truth:  I record episodes of the “Big Joe Polka Show” and we sometimes polka in the living room. I was raised in a community where every event was an excuse for a polka band, and Big Joe was on the radio on Sunday mornings. It’s far better exercise than aerobics, and my kids love it.
4. Tickle and laugh. See if you can reduce both yourself and your kids into a big giggly pile of goo a couple of times a day. Be silly. We grown-ups need to do more tickling.
5. Say “yes”. Once in an elevator, a grandma-type was explaining to a little girl that they were going to practice saying “yes.” I thought that was a fabulous idea, and I try to consciously institute a day for this every so often. It makes me really think about whether all the “no’s” in my life are necessary.

What are your ways?

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