Guest Post by Keri at https://www.kerilynnsnyder.com
Last month, I set up the inflatable pool in the backyard for the kids. From day one, they were begging me to jump in and have fun with them. Naturally, the excuses poured out of my mouth. It is not warm enough, I do not want to get wet… the list went on and on. Until one Saturday, when I finally chose to jump in and have fun.
It was the Saturday before Mother’s Day and the boys had helped me plant a bunch of beautiful flowers. They went to jump in the pool and my husband was fixing the lawn mower. Inside, I could already visualize my long list of things to do and knew I had at least an hour before the youngest woke. I pictured myself checking things off the list. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw my boys jumping and laughing in the pool.
It looked like so much fun.
Without giving it another thought, I slipped out of my flip-flops and jumped in (well as much as you can in a kids pool).
The look on my boy’s eyes was priceless. They glimmered with joy and excitement. We spent the next hour laughing, splashing, racing, and playing silly pool games. It was such a good time and we had a lot of fun.
Later that night, I was tucking my oldest into bed and I said something about it being such a fun day. His reply was that he loved playing in the pool with me.
Friends, it really was such a simple and basic thing. I jumped in the pool. I did not go buy new toys, create a Pinterest-worthy craft or anything grand. I choose to jump in and have fun.
We get so busy doing so many things. These things are not bad things and most of the time, they do need to eventually get done, but we have to take time to have fun with our kids. They are only young once. I know it is tiring at times, and so draining, but when you take the time to jump in together, you will remember why you do what you do.
Jump in and have fun this week mamas- and watch your child's delight. Share on X
I hope you enjoyed this post from Keri. Her book, Why Just Survive When You Can Thrive is available now!
Purchase the book here for $4.99!
You can read my review of the book here.
Free Scripture Cards With Purchase- If you buy the PDF or Printed you will get the link to print the scripture cards. These go along with the book (they are the verses from the end of each chapter.) There are 8 total. If you purchase the PDF, the link will come to you automatically. If you order the printed, then just need to email Keri at (kerisnyder@gmail.com) with your order number and she’ll email you the link.
There will always be days where we are struggling, but overall we do not have to function in survival mode. We can learn how to thrive as moms. Read more in, Why Just Survive When You Can Thrive.
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Hello there! I'm Valerie, a mom of four and wife of 27 years. My writing inspires others to cultivate courageous faith and find solace in trusting God, especially in moments of fear and uncertainty. Join me on this adventure as we explore the beauty of trusting God when we are afraid. 
Love it. My children usually get very excited too when I do something that they usually wouldn’t think I would do. It’s was a good reminder from you to keep doing that. I should try more often!
Yep! I started doing this a few years ago with my kids and they just love it! I swim in the lake with them, jump in the waves at the beach, join in at the trampoline parks… it was hard at first; either my to do list go in the way or else I was afraid of what others would think who were looking on but eventually it got easier and the memories we were making were totally worth it! I was amazed at how much my boys talked about and remembered me joining in. Such a simple thing…
Great advice, Keri. Here’s to jumping all in and making memories with our people!
Thank you for stopping by Lyli! We all could use this reminder to jump in and stress less! Our kids just want to spend time with us!
Thank you so much!
This is wonderful. It’s so true that our kids just want our attention and participation. I think this is one of the reasons I love going camping with my family– there literally is nothing else to do but hang out together! No chores, minimal cooking, and few distractions. I also need the reminder when we are just around the house. My kids have just discovered UNO, and it’s easy to tell them to just play together, but I know they are very happy when mom or dad joins in too.
Thanks for the encouragement! I’m sharing it on FB as a great summer reminder.
Thank you for sharing Keri’s post, Lisa! I think we all could use the reminder to have some fun! I love camping too! It’s fun to watch the kids explore in nature and not worry about the daily routines!
I agree! I feel the same way about camping- all distractions are removed!
This is such a beautiful post. I need this reminder often. I heard that one of the biggest regrets mothers with grown children have is that they didn’t spend more time playing with their kids. I can see how easy it is to let these moments slip by. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Brooke,
Thank you so much for visiting! Yes, it is SO easy to let those moments slip by. I needed this reminder to watch for those moments when I can jump in!
Thanks so much- it definitely is easy to not see the moments.