I sit quietly and honour you

Never have I learned more about life, about myself and my own limits, about being inspired and being humbled, or about love and hope, than in my role as a mum. A mum’s daily life is a roller coaster filled with noise, love, hugs, dirt, tears, giggles, toys, unanswerable questions, tiredness, more tiredness, and, above all, love, love, and more love. My beautiful seven- and four-year-old boys have become my teachers. Be it through a tantrum or through a hug, through a game or through a smile, they open new paths of love and gratitude in my brain and my soul. And they leave me no option but to sit quietly and honor them as they grow, as they fall and stand up, as they explore the world and gradually become the men they will someday be…

I sit quietly and honour you as you cry at the doctor’s office after having fallen from a swing

… as you reject my every intent of making you eat new food.

… as you call me in tears at night and ask me to lie by your side

… as you hop like a jumping bean from morning to dawn

… as you cry whenever I wash your hair

... as you spill your food all over me and yourself

... as you find all possible ways of interrupting everything that I do

... as you snore loudly through the night

... as you scream and throw a tantrum when you feel tired

... as you ask for more, always for more…

I sit quietly and honour your laughter as you come back from the woods all muddy and dirty.

… as you watch peppa pig a thousand times and never grow bored

... as we read a story every night until you fall asleep

… as you sing one single song for hours non-stop

… as you polish a piece of wood and turn it into an oak tree diamond

… as your beautiful hands sew a flower and a heart

... as you teach me to be in awe of the seasons and the weather

... as you talk to the birds in the mornings

... as you watch the seasons change and celebrate it

… as you see flowers blossom and delight on that

... as you play with the frogs in the pond...

I sit quietly and honour you as you become a snow leopard, a kangaroo or a poisonous snake

.... as you turn me into a mother queen cobra

… as you tell me stories about knights and tigers and poisonous animals, about princesses and firemen and policemen…

… as you give me permission to meet everyone who lives in your magic kingdoms

... as you ask why the clouds have animal shapes (“Mama, do you think God wants us to enjoy this ride?”)

I sit quietly and honour you as you let me be part of your sadness and of your rage, of your curiosity and of your integrity, of your imagination and your innocence. I am honoured simply to be part of you.