Motherhood is Fleeting: Whatever it Takes, Slow Down

Whatever it takes… somehow, someway, slow down. Motherhood is fleeting and these moments are precious. A reminder that I regularly need for myself…here is a great example of why….

Hello.
My Name is Nancy.

I am not sharing that to introduce myself.

Those are the five little words at the center of one my most phenomenal mom fails- EVER.
Summer 2018 was a particularly hectic one as I was balancing our move into a new home with my full-time job as a local news anchor and my side hustle of being all things to my little humans.
My daughter was four and my son was seven.
I was determined to make it a sensational summer despite a growing to do list and work obligations.
Summer camps to the rescue and one in particular had my son very excited.
He’s a big reader and lover of history and social studies… (he gets it from his mama) and he was headed to the Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando. Beyond his enthusiasm for the camp, this was a major big boy step for him as this was his first camp outside programs run through his preschool.

My brave, little man was ready to explore his passion in a big building in the heart of downtown.
Alas, when we arrived, there was confusion about whether he was, in fact, a little man.
I thought I had done everything right.
I filled out all the forms, paid well before the deadline, picked the right shirt size.
I remember him beaming in the check in line.
He noticed the nametags handed to each camper.
They were nice, pre-printed tags with the History Center logo… none of that sticker/ sharpie nonsense.

When he reached the registration table and happily reached out for the shiny nametag he would wear for the week… a little item that would make him feel very official… I watched his face change.
My sweet boy’s name is Benjamin.

And there, on his tag were the words:
Hello.
My name is Nancy.

Ya see, when his multitasking mom registered him she accidentally listed HIM as the parent and in the line marked STUDENT… well, she put her name.
He looked at the tag, looked and me, looked at the tag again and his sad eyes prefaced the question: “Mommy, did you forget my name?”

Instant heartache.

The problem was soon resolved and he spent the week with the aforementioned sticker/ sharpie nametag.
I explained I did NOT forget his name, I never, ever would… but I DID forget to slow down.
I have forgotten to slow down so much since I became a mom, I don’t even know how anymore. 

I have realized more and more this pace isn’t just causing silly mistakes like the name tag mishap…. it has also caused me to miss being in the moment. The moments of motherhood…we all know that motherhood is fleeting, yet we still move at a race car’s pace.

I look at old videos on my phone and don’t remember how I felt in those moments… it’s all a blur of sleeplessness and survival. The one-woman circus act of keeping everyone happy, safe, fed and the list goes on.

So, I’m dedicating my first blog post with Orlando Mom to the new mamas trying to figure out how to navigate this journey… and the ones like me with many years ahead but several already in the rear view mirror.

Whatever it takes… somehow, someway, slow down.

Even if it means walking out of a room and walking back in to reset.
Maybe if it means learning the power of saying no… no to more obligations, events, etc.
Make sure you take it all in because motherhood is fleeting.

Soon enough your sweet babies will be filling out their own forms…. or they’ll be standing by with gentle reminders like the one my now 11-year-old son gives me when he knows I’m signing him up for something:
“Remember, Mommy, my name is Benjamin.”