My Favorite Time of Day to Be a Mommy

     It takes me nearly all day to get to my favorite part of the day. You might think I'm referring to the peace and quiet after the children are in bed, but I'm not. Sure, that is nice, but it is what comes right before it that nearly always makes my day.

      After teeth have been brushed and many stories read, my children climb into bed and I frequently climb in right beside them. We pray and then we just talk. Since two of my children are preschoolers and the other one is a toddler, many of our conversations are simply silly. Yet, even those silly conversations help me see a bit deeper into my little ones. I learn about what goes on inside those sweet heads and sometimes it makes me laugh out loud.

     One night, while in the midst of our nightly routine, my son informed me that the reason, um, human waste (of course he said pooh) is sometimes green is because you eat an alligator. That one had me laughing for quite a while.

     Then there was the night that my oldest daughter looked at me seriously and asked, “Mom, have you ever fought a pirate?” That also gave me a good chuckle.

     Of course, there is also our youngest who enjoys “conversing” in her own sweet way. As I sing to her, she usually starts giggling and then looks up at my face to see if I'm also laughing. After I lay her in her crib, she almost always covers her face and tries to squeeze in a quick game of peek-a-boo.

     Other nights, our conversations are more serious than silly. My children ask questions about heaven and God. Those nights make me realize how quickly they are growing. I suppose it won't be long until they might not want me to lay beside them as they wind down from the day. Until then, I plan to get in as many snuggles as possible.

     Do you have a favorite time of day with your children?