Reasons

There are lots of reasons why I love being Mom to my young kids.

Lots of reasons that make the butt-wiping, the bed-wetting, the 3 AM wake up calls, the tantrum throwing, etc. bearable. No, not just bearable, but worth it completely.

Reasons like:
How my hugs still calm their worries.
We still get to kiss on the lips and nobody feels weird about it.
They ask me to sing bedtimes songs with them, and they sing along with me.
How holding Angus' hand on car rides calms him and keeps him from screaming.
I can still carry/hold each of them in my arms, and they both still fit on my lap.
They want me around and miss me when I am gone.
How Oscar asks us to lay by him for a bit before he goes to sleep.
How they are completely uninhibited when it comes to running around naked.
How Angus holds on to my leg and pleads for me to "hode" (hold) him.
The way they giggle and play together.
How snuggling between Bryan and I bed, in the middle of the night, can take the fear of Oscars nightmares away.

I am in love with the simplicity of this age. Most of their worries and woes are not complex. I can help them find, or I can simply be, the answer to their problems.

A soft touch.
A warm hug.
A tickle fight.
A batch of cookies.
A kind word.
A hand held.
A tear wiped.
A "You're terrific."
An "I love you."
Oh, how wonderful it would be if all of life's predicaments could be solved in one of those ways.

Well? Maybe they can be.
It's sure worth a try.