All I Want Is My Kids To Live Love Out Loud

My twin girls are two years old and are at an age where they repeat what I say constantly. The other day I was carrying Emersyn from the house to the car and I dropped something. I said, “Oh shoot!” And the very next words from her mouth were, “Oh shoot, Momma!”

Then there was yesterday when we were sitting down for dinner and everybody was at the table except Emersyn. Mckinley piped in, “Emmy, come sit down NOW!” She said it verbatim like I do.

Thankfully there are also the instances that just melt my heart. Last night Baylen fell and Mckinley ran up to him and said, “Are you okay, Baylen? I give you kisses?”

Raising little humans is one of the most humbling things ever. They see it all and they hear it all. And when they start talking? It’s like having accountability partners surrounding you 24/7! As hard as I try to protect them and fill them only with the best information and most nurturing environment, the reality is, I’m going to mess up time and time again. There are going to be days when I let a swear word fly out of my mouth and other days when my patience wears thin and I raise my voice. I’m still growing myself, and will be my entire life. I may be twenty some years older than them, but I’m still a work in progress.

I think that’s where my mind stops a lot of times. I don’t feel worthy or good enough to be the mom my kids deserve. I don’t feel like I have it together enough, am organized enough, or that my house is clean enough. And so I feel paralyzed, like I’m spinning my wheels and am barely hanging on.

What if, instead of feeling defeated by the daily challenges in motherhood, that we surrendered? What if we took those opportunities to bring our kids into our hearts? What if we talked about receiving grace from above? What if I acknowledged that I’m not enough but I know WHO is? Even though I’m surrounded by four little kids every single day, motherhood can feel so isolating at times, because I don’t bring them into my emotions. Just like my kids pick up on the words I say, they pick up on my emotions too. It’s up to me to communicate those well and use them for a purpose beyond myself.

When I think about what my heart longs for my kids to imitate and be anchored in, it’s the truth that they are loved every minute of every day, even when they feel like they don’t deserve it. I want them to realize at a young age that they can mess up time and time again and that it will never change the way I feel about them. There will be room for discipline along the way, because certainly that’s part of loving them. But I want them to know without a doubt that there isn’t a problem too big for us to get through together.

And it can’t simply stop with my kids. They can’t be the only ones I love along the way. Almost anyone can do that! I need to show them what love is so that we can reach beyond our four walls. My kids need to learn how to LOVE people, because that’s where the rubber meets the road. They need to be able to see every person as someone who is worthy of loving, even when they’re not.

And so, I ask myself this question and I ask you too. Are we setting a good example of what it looks to LOVE people well? When we’ve been with a friend, neighbor, or sister, do they leave our time together knowing without a doubt that we love them and care about them? Do they see grace in our eyes and find comfort in our conversations?

Do we lurk around Facebook and Instagram in silence or do we use that time to intentionally encourage and uplift someone else? It’s time for us to be generous with our likes and comments. It’s time for us to celebrate each other’s successes! Every single person on this planet longs to be loved, accepted, and affirmed. It’s our job to go to the ends of the earth to find them.

The most exciting part? We get to raise the next generation to help us! They are watching us, and WILL follow us.

At the end of the day, it’s about living out LOVE, amen?

You, my friend, are loved so deeply. I wish I could meet you in person and give you the biggest hug ever and remind you that you are beautiful even on the days you don’t feel it. That you are a delight, even when you feel like a liability. That you are worthy of all the blessings you’ve been given.

You were made to do the life you’ve been given. Go forth and LOVE well. 

XOXO,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!