Love being a Mum meme

I was tagged by 4maze for this.  Thanks!  Caroline, I’m adding you to my blog reader, and not just because you tagged me.  😉  You have a great blog!

“Mum” is up there on my list of non-American-English words that I really like.  My first, though, isn’t really a word.  It’s saying, “Emmmm” instead of, “Uhhhh” when one can’t quite think of what to say next.  It sounds so much more feminine.

Now, for my swiftest response ever to a tag:

Five Things I Love About Being a Mum

1. Hugs. There’s something precious about a hug, whether it’s the sort-of-shy one from my 11yo after he says, “I need a hug,” or the running, squealing, jumping variety of my 3yo, or the spontaneous grasp from my baby.  They’re all precious.
2. Reading. I adore reading to my kids.  Snuggled on the couch, or wherever we may be, I love reading to them.  I love the shared experience, I love learning together, I love reading a good story, all of it.  Reading.  So simple, so powerful.
3. Heritage. My husband and I don’t force our likes upon our children, and we can’t even force our Christianity upon them.  So, there is something SO very special about a shared value, a shared love, a shared interest, in my kids, when they come to that realization themselves, “Wow, I like this, too!” and then we get to enjoy it together.  Wow.
4. Figuring out what they best need. Whether it’s a special diet, or a special teaching technique, or the way I communicate, or what, I love finding out the best way to meet the needs and reach the hearts of my children.
5. Hanging out. It doesn’t always happen that our family’s “hanging out” time is peaceful.  Too often, it seems, we have to break up squabbles, deal out discipline, dry some tears, etc. (which is all part of parenting, of course).  But, there are some times we spend together as a family where all is peaceful, and we’re all enjoying being together, and it is just glorious, and I think, “This is the life.”  Like on Saturday, the baby and I were on a blanket in a shady patch in the back yard, Martin was playing catch with the boys, calling to me, “Look how fast he can zing it in there!”, Audrey was running around squealing, I was snapping pics (which didn’t turn out because my camera is having issues), and it was just beautiful.  I LOVE moments like those.

Now, whom to tag?  Helen (who is genuinely clever, and I love her conversations with her son), Sue (who has an interesting life and seems like she’d make the ideal neighbor… if one lived in Japan), and Jamie (who has had a rough time with losing her mother and probably could use a little lightheartedness).