They Won’t Always Be Saying Mama

I remember when my oldest first started saying mama.

Of course he had to say dada first – little stinker! – but mama was close to follow. Oh how happy it made my heart to hear that one little word for the first time. What a privilege to be Caleb’s mama. I encouraged him to say it often and I ate it up every time!

Fast forward several years . . .

Both Caleb (now almost four) and Sofia (two years old) are quite proficient at saying mama. In fact, mama (or mommy) must be their favorite word because I can guarantee you that it’s their most-spoken one. Caleb enjoys using it as punctuation in his sentences. (It makes a great filler word while you’re trying to think of what to say next, haha!)

Some of my kids’ favorite times to really go gung-ho with saying mama are:

• During car rides
• While Mommy is on the phone
• While Mommy is trying to read to them
• When Daddy wants to unload to Mommy about his day (this seems to be a big favorite, ha!)

It’s also amazing to me how my kids can be sitting right next to my husband and still call for mama to get them what they need. Seriously guys??

Admittedly, hearing “mama” a million times a day doesn’t give quite the thrill that it did back I heard it that first time. Pablo and I have both turned to the kids on occasion and asked them to please stop saying mama for just a few minutes!

But in those times, when I’m feeling really mommied-out, I need to pause, take a breath, and remind myself, they won’t always be saying mama.

One of these days, Caleb is going to feel too old to say mama/mommy and it’ll turn into just mom. I’m sure Sofia will follow right after him. I probably won’t even realize the last time they say mama . . . I’ll just realize suddenly that they never say it anymore.

One of these days my kids are going to be more independent. They won’t need to call for mama to pour them a glass of milk, or wipe their noses or bottoms, or help them with their crafts.

One of these days, much too soon, my kids won’t care so much to have mommy sit on the floor and play with them. I probably won’t be the first person they want to share their thoughts and their long rambling stories with anymore.

One of these days, they won’t need their mama so much.

But right now they do. And although some days in some moments I lose my perspective, I want to remind myself of this: They won’t always say mama, but I sure plan to treasure it while they do.