Tara Lynn: Slowing down for ice cream

I was supposed to have this blog post written yesterday. I was planning to sit down after the kids went to bed and type out all the thoughts I had the last few days on the marathon of parenting. Computer charged and open. A cold can of Fresca on the coffee table and…a little voice from the bottom of the stairs, “mommy?”

The kids were wound up last night. So many giggles. They were already late to bed and now at 9:30 p.m., the middle child needed more snuggles. So we snuggled. I tucked her into bed and decided to call it a night. My brain was tired.

This seems to be the common rhythm of parenting. Spending the morning getting the kids ready for school, reminding them to put on socks, brush their hair, find their shoes, go get their socks (for the fourth time), etc. Then spending the day working or managing the house while missing them and hoping they are safe and happy. Next, pick them up, diffusing all the emotions between their snack demands and shuffling them off to an activity or keeping them occupied so I can make dinner. My patience disappearing quickly for the kiddos that I missed so much just an hour before they came home.

Such was the case Friday. It had been a busy week with me working on a photography job out of the house earlier that week. The counters were cluttered (when are they not?) and it was a rush from school to gymnastics drop-off to trying to figure out what the dinner plan was. I had a client call in an hour and I was grumpy. The kids kept launching themselves off the furniture (their favorite game) or bickering with each other.

My husband took the two youngest kids outside to burn off some energy and give me some time to prep for my call. I sat down at my computer and there it was. The tinkling music of the ice cream truck. I could have sent off a whisper of “good luck” to my husband from my desk. I could have put my head down and started the work I just sat down to do. Instead, I grabbed my wallet and tried to call my husband just in case they had been around the corner oblivious to the sounds of the treat truck (ha, kids always hear that music five miles away).

As I walked down the driveway, I saw my daughter running toward the house with the biggest smile on her face. I could tell my husband was telling the driver that he would go grab his wallet. He didn’t need to. Here came mommy and boy did I feel like a superhero with the shouts of praise from the kids.

Nothing melts faster than ice cream on a summer day in North Carolina than a mom’s heart at the sound of pure and innocent joy from her children. They were jumping up and down waiting for us to open up their popsicles. That first taste seemed like pure magic. I mean…I’m still just in awe of the happiness that radiated from their little bodies.

I had just a few minutes to watch them enjoy their ice cold treasures before I did have to get back to work. But it reminded me of the power of slowing down for the good parts of parenting because parenting is indeed a marathon. There are so many highs and lows throughout the day. Just because you may have lost your patience in the morning or just after dinner, doesn’t mean you can’t still be giggling together at the end of the night.

I remember my dad telling me growing up that life was like a NASCAR race. When things are easy (on the straightaway), you can cruise. But when a curve comes your way, you have to slow down to navigate it. That’s so true when difficulties come our way. But there is also a benefit to slowing down during the “easy” moments so you can soak them in. They don't last nearly as long as they should.

Tara Lynn is a former WRAL reporter and anchor. She lends her 15-plus years in journalism to tell visual stories through love-filled photography for families of all kinds. The mother of three little humans and one senior rescue dog believes in celebrating magic in the little things, the big loves, and the imperfect moments that make the most remarkable memories. Her vision is to help families celebrate and share their love through photography and curated album artwork that become timeless keepsakes connecting multiple generations...because moments often pass in the blink of an eye, and the photographs we take connect us to our memories and our great loves, forever.

You can find Tara Lynn on Instagram at @TaraLynn_andCo and TaraLynnAndCo.com. Learn more about her photography at TaraLynnAndCoPhoto.com.