Advice from a Veteran of the Trenches, part 2

This part of the interview I want printed, enlarged and framed so that I won't forget, so that my mothering will be better. It was my favorite moment of our conversation and so profound for me.

On Loving Your Job
Me: If you could give a piece of advice to young mothers, looking back with all the things you have learned, what would be your advice?

Mom: Well, I really would advise young women to, as hard as it is every day, to meet the challenge, and cherish each day because it goes so fast. You know, when you've got a houseful of kids and you hit the floor running every morning, and granted you're tired a lot of the time, but suddenly it's over and they're gone. Therefore it's, it's...what I was going to say is that when you have them around you all of the time you're thinking I'm always going to feel this way, I'm always going to be tired, I'm always going to be behind and suddenly they're gone, and you've got all this time and you wish you could go back, for just a day, and enjoy it.

Alright, if you could go back--let's say you could go back in a time machine and spend one day, what would you do?

I think I'd take my children on a picnic, and we'd go down near the river where I grew up and we'd...throw rocks in the water, roast marshmellows...just enjoy each other...We spent a lot of time outdoors. We grew a garden and took care of a lawn and all that, but sometimes I think we get busy and we forget to stop and play with our kids. I don't know that the kids noticed it that much because where we lived at the time I had all my children, we had neighbors that also had large families and they played out of doors every day all day long. So they probably didn't miss--not that I'm aware of--having their mom stop and play with them....but I would like to have spent more time with them...just playing.