The kind of mom I want to be

I want to be the kind of mom that laughs when she gets blasted with the squirt gun and has her suit thoroughly soaked just before she gets to the office not the one who screams.

I want to have pictures of my child with yogurt in his hair and a maniacal laugh on his face, knowing that he just dumped and entire bowl down his pants not pictures of him combed and perfect with red-rimmed eyes because someone has been yelling at him to just sit still for two seconds.

I want to be the kind of mom that says "WOW!" when he notices an acorn on the ground and shows it to me, not the one who grabs his hand and says "Hurry up! We're late!"

I want to recognize that children, clothing, floors, tables, and chairs are all washable and not spend my time worrying about whether I'll ever get the stains out.

I want to be the kind of mom that takes time to explain why certain things are allowed and others are not, not the one who says "Because I said so."

When my child comes crying to me, I want to be the mom who kisses him and asks "What's wrong? Are you ok?", not the one who says "What did you do this time?"

I want to always remember that nothing is more important than listening to my children - and that I cannot do that if I am always telling them what to do.