The Simple Things

Big surprises, extravagant outings and one off experiences are great! Travelling, pushing the boat out and and living lavishly can be fantastic fun. But the little things; the small, simple, ordinary everyday events are the ones that keep our hearts smiling and yet so often we take them for granted. Unless you're fantastically rich and have little responsibility or commitments to adhere to, then the extravagant events are less frequent and without the simple things then life wouldn't be too enjoyable in between. The every day moments are important and for me have become something to appreciate all the more since becoming a parent. You can have the toughest, most depressing, frustrating of days... whether it be through work, difficult children, family or finances but so long as you get that one happy moment per day and focus on it then it makes it worth getting up again the next day.

More often than not, there's always at least one special moment to take away from even the worst days and that's what makes parenting worth it. Here's a few of my special every day moments recently that seem like nothing on the surface but make me feel warm and fuzzy inside when I think back on them.

Clayton has been struggling hugely with his molars taking an age to push their way through his throbbing gums. He has had a head cold off the back of it and has been generally less happy. He's also becoming much more independent and doesn't want as much physical contact or even help from us as parents. He's head strong already. That's why this moment was extra special... he slept in this position for an hour with me and I cherished every second of it.

Alice, in her first 2 months of life has definitely been more of a Mummy's girl. It's been trying at times for me when I have been unable to soothe her and have often wondered if I was doing enough to bond with her. It seemed like a losing battle sometimes but I'm pleased to say that the tide has been turning and I'm much more comfortable with our baby girl and she is with me too. But because of those initial struggles is why this next moment was so pleasing for me. Alice had been crying and crying and had really had an off day. Even my wife was coming second in the fight to calm her down. I decided that I would blast some old school Disney classics and dance with my daughter, singing the words to my childhood favourites. She settled instantly and I proudly danced and danced with her. She loved every minute, cooing and looking around the room, so long as I didnt stop singing at the same time.

Finally, this moment made me chuckle. It's a real Father-Son moment when you teach them how to fix or build something. Clayton obviously isn't at an age where he can take that kind of information in and understand it but he was awfully keen to help me fix the stool in the kitchen. He was chatting away and trying to move my hands to see what I was doing. It's more fun fixing something when your toddler is joining in!