My daughter Emma has a new routine at bedtime. Once I get her all tucked in and she lays down, she stands up again and beckons me to give her a kiss. “Mmm” she says and reaches her tiny lips out.
Every night and I bend down and oblige with a goodnight kiss. My heart melts a little bit each time. After the kiss, she drops down onto the mattress and snuggles with all 7 of the stuffed animals that she insists on having in her crib. I tell her I love her and gently close the door as I leave.
Of course, that’s not the end of it. Emma is a bright toddler and understands how to get what she wants. As soon as I leave, she calls out to me, “mama, more!?” In her language this means, “please some smother me with more kisses.”
I have a choice on these nights. I know that if I leave her in the crib, she will roll over a few moments later and go to sleep without incident.
Instead, every single night, I go back in for more kisses when she calls me. She stands up and reaches her face out to me with a huge grin. Even though her routine happens at the end of our long days when I am exhausted and still wearing my morning workout clothes, I always give her those extra kisses. Despite the long list of tasks that I usually need to accomplish after she goes to sleep, I never hesitate to go back to her. Her antics can easily add another 10-15 minutes onto her bedtime routine, but how can I not kiss her goodnight again? I know the day will come that she will no longer call me back in for more kisses. So, I soak it up every night. Nothing makes me as happy as hearing her little voice say those words: “mama, more?”
Emma reminds me in these moments to stay truly present and be with those I love, even when it is inconvenient. If I close the door when she is calling out to me, I know that she will be fine. She has no trouble falling asleep. But then I would miss out on the best part of my day.
Sometimes I go back into her room 10 times when she calls me, but I do it with a smile. It means I am lucky enough to get 10 more kisses.
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