This weekend, I spent Friday and Saturday with my family, including a few hours with just me and the kids.
We watched a couple of movies. While we were watching, I helped my youngest son with his little car project for school. My older son was nearby, talking here and there, helping a little, and working on his own things.
It felt fulfilling. Nothing big was happening, but I enjoyed having both of them around me, each doing his own thing while we spent time together.
We also cleaned up the backyard a little because rain was coming on Sunday. We had breakfast outside in the yard. Simple things, but I loved all of it.
Something else stood out to me: I didn’t get angry with them at all.
We didn’t have plans with other families or arrangements to keep up with. I wasn’t worrying about how my kids were behaving around other people. I felt relaxed, and I could just enjoy being with them.
That made me think about how much of my attention sometimes goes toward watching their behavior when we’re with others. This weekend, I noticed what it felt like to let go of that worry for a while.
There were movies, a school project, a little yard work, and breakfast outside. By the end of it, I felt happy with the time we’d had together.
I’d like more weekends like that.