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The Minutiae of Motherhood

The Minutiae of Motherhood | Childhood 101

I jolt awake in the middle of the night with the realisation that we have run out of honey. Tomorrow is a school day and a honey sandwich is currently the only thing in her lunchbox that she’ll actually eat. This I know.

There are so many of these things I know.

I know that one child lives for Jatz crackers and the other abhors them with a passion unwarranted for baked goods.

That one loves tomatoes and despises sweet potatoes and the other despises tomatoes and loves sweet potato.

That one would always choose mint choc chip but the other likes to mix things up.

That one prefers bubbles in the bath but the other doesn’t.

The Minutiae of Motherhood | Childhood 101

That one likes to wear socks while the other prefers shoes, any shoes, without.

That one likes to be soothed to sleep with gentle songs and the other with the warmth of her palm in yours.

That library day is Monday and playgroup is Wednesday. That Wednesday is also recorder day. And that on Tuesday one needs money for the school raffle and a new piano book.

These things seem so insignificant when I look at them written down. But these things, the million little details of life with young children, these are the things that matter to my children. They are the things they rely on their mama to know and remember and understand.

And whilst not one of these tiny, individual details is exactly life altering, knowing these things sure makes the task of sailing this family ship through the oceans of each day that little more untroubled. And this tired mama, well she is a big fan of untroubled.

The Minutiae of Motherhood | Childhood 101

But you know what else, mama, these small, tiny details that we remember and know and just do, they are important. The part we play in taking care of these little things, it matters. My children trust that I will smooth the way ahead by taking care of these small things, the minutiae of motherhood. So they, in turn, can focus on the big things – mastering milestones and growing and learning, and all that other important stuff.

So be kind to yourself, mama. When the to-do list is left undone and you feel that you have accomplished so little in a day. Know that that little, that little matters. More then we give ourselves credit for.

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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

Filed Under: Featured, Parenthood Tagged With: parenting tips

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Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Mrs P says

    April 9, 2015 at 8:13 AM

    Thank you. I needed to read that today.
  2. Bron says

    April 10, 2015 at 11:10 AM

    Beautiful x
  3. Margaret Elvis says

    April 10, 2015 at 5:40 PM

    That was so beautifully written and the amount of truth in it is quite overwhelming. Mothers are just there for their children and it is the little things that matter so much but mum can deal with them while the youngsters get on with the job of learning about life in general and well, just growing up.
  4. Ana says

    April 12, 2015 at 7:26 PM

    Lovely post!
  5. Sheila @ BrainPowerBoy says

    April 13, 2015 at 8:58 AM

    I love this post and completely agree with you. Those things do matter. They matter a whole lot to the young ones who look to you, and trust that you will know what they need and what is important to them. Beautiful. Pinning to my special board :)
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