“5 bags, a stroller, and 45 minutes to pack to go to our neighborhood pool, which is a 3-minute drive away.
5 bags!!!
1 for snacks and drinks,
1 for our towels,
1 for diapers, sunblock, change of clothes, wallet, and keys,
1 for water toys, and
1 trash bag for wet clothes and towels.
This is just a glimpse of what it takes for moms to go anywhere with young kids in the summer.
Those 5 bags display the mind of a mother.
They display the preparation and time a mother took to make her kids happy, even though it took 45 minutes and lots of sweat in 95-degree weather to put together.
They display me going up and down the steps because I forgot something else I needed to bring with us.
They display me lugging my kids and bags into the car. They display me lugging the bags and kids out of the car and into our neighborhood pool. Then repeat to go back home.
Those 5 bags represent the 4 times I changed my toddler in and out of his swimsuit and then back into his regular clothes. Why??? Because he was tired, thirsty, hungry, wanted to go on the swing, wanted to go back in the water, and wanted to give Mommy a run for her money.
Those 5 bags symbolize watching my 7-year-old swim underwater when he couldn’t the year before. They symbolize him playing with friends and giving his screen time a break. They symbolize progress from an isolated prior year. They symbolize one of the magical summers I get while my kids are still little.
Those 5 bags express that mothers would do anything for their kids to give them the life they deserve. They express the love, sweat, tears, and exhaustion of motherhood. They express the load we as mothers have on our shoulders daily to be extraordinary.
Those 5 bags have a lot of meaning behind them not everyone can see. So take a glimpse of motherhood through my eyes. It’s a wild but worthy ride.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Holly Dignen. You can follow her journey on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.os.
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