Мать-фармацевт призывает родителей быть внимательными к обыденным моментам с детьми

Earlier this week, we celebrated Joshua’s ninth birthday. This time of year is always super busy for our family. We usually try to fit in one last family vacation before school starts back up and our busiest season begins at The Prescription Shoppe. In addition, it’s birthday season for our family. My husband’s birthday kicks us off at the end of August, and then we roll right into both boys’ birthdays in September. This school year began like any other. We prepared for the boys to head back to school, met their new teachers and took the obligatory first-day pictures. However, something felt very different for me. Amid jumping back into our school-year routines, I had a realization: our boys are really growing up. With Josh turning 9 and Jacob turning 13 in a couple of weeks, we no longer have babies. And while I’ve written before about coping with aging children and the emotions that come along with watching your kids grow and mature right before your eyes, something about having a budding teenager has significantly changed my perspective. It’s no secret that I’m a busybody. I’m constantly focused on growing our reach with The Prescription Shoppe while also being incredibly present within our community and serving in various professional and civic organizations. I’m usually racing from point A to point B and working on my phone in between the boys’ tennis practices, taekwondo and piano lessons. I can often be found working late on my laptop, submitting a committee report, finishing a presentation or checking one more thing off my to-do list. This has been my flow for many years. My close circle consistently teases me for aiming to be an “overachiever” in nearly every area of my life. But for the first time, after grinding for nearly eight years since we opened our small business, I’m not feeling the grind in quite the same way. Something has shifted. It hit me that with each year that passes, we are one year closer to sending our boys off into the world. The comfort I used to have in knowing that I could keep them close for what felt like forever is gone. Forever suddenly doesn’t feel very long. As parents, we all have priorities and juggle multiple responsibilities on our plates. Everything is go, go, go with an ever-growing to-do list. And if we’re not careful, our most valuable asset, time with our children, can pass right by us while we’re busy taking care of everything else. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a go-getter at my core and am deeply invested in the meaningful work that I have the privilege of doing through The Prescription Shoppe and throughout the Greater Williamsburg community. That hasn’t changed. But watching Jacob nearly surpass me in height and recognizing that our children will eventually fly from the nest, sooner rather than later, has made me consider my work, my commitments and my time differently. I don’t know if I have any real tips for parents on this topic outside of trying our best to be intentional with the time that we have. I’m still figuring it out myself. What I am realizing is that being present doesn’t necessarily mean creating more big moments. Sometimes it simply means paying closer attention to the ordinary ones. The rides to practice. Sitting at the dinner table. The conversations in the car. The random stories they tell when you’re trying to finish something on your phone. Even the routines that can sometimes feel exhausting are part of a season of life that won’t last forever. So, spend the time now. Take a few extra moments each day to really look your children in the eyes and appreciate their smiles. Say “no” to additional commitments when you can, especially the ones that may fill your calendar but not your spirit. We can’t be everywhere at once, just like we can’t be everything to everyone. And maybe making the most of this time doesn’t mean making every moment count. That feels like one more impossible standard for parents to live up to. Maybe it simply means being intentional enough to notice the moments while we’re still in them. For me, my most important job is the role that I play in the lives of my children. Routines are inevitable, and responsibilities aren’t going anywhere. But remembering what’s most important each day and investing our time with our children now is one of the most worthwhile commitments we will ever make as parents. It’s easy to fall into the trap of letting the busyness of our day-to-day lives distract us from the privilege we have of raising children and helping to shape our little humans into respectful, thoughtful and self-aware young adults. This weekend, we will celebrate Joshua’s birthday with our family. And instead of worrying about what needs to be done next, what email needs a response or what’s waiting for me on Monday, I plan to be present. I want to look around, soak up the ordinary moments and appreciate this season for exactly what it is. Because these moments are fleeting. And I’m realizing just how quickly they go. Dr. Jade L. Ranger is a pharmacist and co-owner of The Prescription Shoppe, a full-service independent pharmacy she owns with her husband. She is the proud mother of two boys, ages 12 and 9, and published her book, Mustard Seed Mentality, in 2021. It is available at amazon.com