Enjoy the moment.
Love your kids! Love your life! Duh, right? You’d be surprised how many moms I know who are so lost in the routine they forget to really enjoy the moment. I was one of them.

Last year, during an unusually rainy day in Los Angeles, my son and I were running a laundry list of errands, sprinting from the car to the store and back again. We were desperately trying not to get wet. Any time he was tempted by a puddle, I’d instinctively pull him back telling him to watch his shoes or pants.

At the next stop on my to-do list, I saw a mother carefully navigating her child around the puddles the same way I had been. It made me pause and think, “When did I get so responsible?” I then tossed my purse in the car, grabbed my son’s hand and stomped right into a puddle, creating a huge splash! He laughed and shot me the “sure it’s okay?” look. I nodded “yes” and I can’t describe the look of joy on his face as he tore into that puddle of water. We jumped and laughed and pounded the puddles until we were soaked. It was so much fun, and such a tremendous release. For those brief ten minutes I didn’t give an ounce of attention to what I had to do or where I had to go. I was wrapped up in the moment, living the excitement with him.

I didn’t get to the dry cleaners, the bank, or the post office that day. In fact, I had to add getting my car washed as well as an extra load of laundry to my to-do list. But as I tucked my son in bed that night and told him how much fun I had with him, he looked at me with such love and said, “I hope it rains tomorrow Mom, so you can jump in the puddles again.”

Of course it’s not always practical, but every once in a while we have to allow love to pull us into the moment. We need to let the moment be bigger than the errands on our list. It’s easy to forget, but every moment is an opportunity to create a lasting memory with your child.

c. 2006, Jessica Denay From The Hot Mom’s Handbook: Moms Have More Fun!, published by Naked Ink of the General Trade Book Group of Thomas Nelson Publishers. All rights reserved. A former teacher, private tutor and counselor for troubled youth, Jessica Denay co-founded the Hot Moms Club and is the author of The Hot Mom’s Handbook. Weighing in as a “Mom Expert,” Jessica has appeared on the “Today” show, CNN, ABC, FOX, MSNBC and many more. Her new book, The Hot Mom-to-Be Handbook: A Womb with a View, is now in bookstores nationwide. Jessica lives in sunny California and is mom to her precious son Gabriel.