Last month, I bestowed the advice to take a front-row seat for all that 2016 has in store. This month, love is in the air (along with chocolate and flowers), but do I dare impart wisdom in this tricky department? I mean, really, love? Love is hard! While it’s often easy to fall in love, it can be hard to stay in love. Add raising kids together into the equation, and wow, tough gets tougher. Near impossible, sometimes. How can two people agree on so many important matters in child-rearing? Cloth or disposable, daycare or in-home, public or private, drums or guitar… the list goes on and on.
A friend who is going through a divorce recently remarked, “It’s amazing how many marriages make it. I mean, really, have you ever seen two things that are more different than men and women? And we’re expected to live harmoniously under the same roof?!” I gotta admit, the gal’s gotta point. But for many, love lasts, and kids only make the bond stronger. Everyone knows of that couple who has lasted through thick and thin, ‘til death do they part. And it gives us all hope for our happily ever after.
It’s sometimes hard to love our kids, too, when they’re crying without end at two in the morning, or when their eyes are rolling, and their mouths are sassy, and you have to do everything in your power to not toss them right out the window. We might not like them very much in those moments, but love them we do, with all of our hearts. This is a great time of year to rekindle our family love, with cold-weather snuggles, valentine-making for our sweethearts, and sending the kids off to dreamland with a bedtime lullaby.
And that’s where my advice for this month comes in. I have a surefire way to remind yourself of all the ways and reasons why you love the ones you love. Are you ready? It’s big! Here goes: Watch them sleep. That’s right – watch, them, sleep. Sounds too easy, right? Give it a shot. It’s especially true for the kids, but it works for the grownups too. When their mouths are finally shut and they are at their most vulnerable, lie next to the ones you love and just watch them dream. The kids may be snuggling their favorite blankie or lovey; our mates may be hogging the bed. But in those most peaceful of moments, it’s easy to gaze over their resting faces and remember all that we love about those little stinkers, the big ones and the small.
Here at RFM, we sure love our readers (but I promise, we will not try to watch you sleep!) and we’re so thankful you love us, too. Be sure to tell others about RFM – we love welcoming new readers, and you are the ones to lead them to us. Spread the word about your favorite monthly lifestyle magazine in RVA, and spread the love this month!
