Community Voices for Health

By: Heather Desmond O’Neill

I love hanging out with my kids.

Just the other day I came home exhausted from work and my little guy (3-years-old) asked me if I wanted to have a tickle party.  How could I refuse?  We giggled and laughed for 45 minutes.  It was the best part of my day.

Last weekend I had to run a few errands and my older son (5-years-old) wanted to tag along.  I had a blast conversing with him and appreciating the independence he was exhibiting.  He’s growing into such a little man with so much personality …. It was the most fun I’d had running errands in a long time.

Typically after dinner we snuggle up on the couch and alternate who gets to choose a TV show (usually on Disney Junior) to watch. The boys make a big production of setting the pillows on the couch and getting blankets for us to cuddle under.  I usually get to sit between the boys and steal kisses on top of their heads.  Sometimes I think they are so entranced by the TV that they don’t even notice.  But the 30 minutes or so that I get to relax and unwind with them is priceless.

Don’t get me wrong, there are days when I want to pull my hair out and put myself into timeout in a room …. alone …. all alone …. with no little hands pulling at me or asking me a million different questions.  But my boys make me laugh and force me to relax and take the time to cherish the little things.

I miss my girlfriends and wish I saw them more often.  I love adult time …. and having meaningful conversations with adults.  But I love hanging out with my kids and I wouldn’t change that for the world.