Did I smile at my children enough?

I'm so teary-eyed now, I haven't seen my daughter in three years. She lives in the UK. And just the weekend we came across a beautiful couple with a 3 year old daughter. And I just smiled and walked on, and then my husband knew, it is that terrible feeling that comes over me from years gone by, that as a young mother I wanted time to speed up, and couldn't wait to see her at her first school-day, her first brazier, her first date..... Now that she is grown up and living her own live I will give all the money in the world to have it all back, at a super slow pace. My daughter's face is all around me in the house with photographs, and scrapbooks, and every time I read article's or discussions like this one, I get myself smiling at her photo on my desk and you are right it makes you wander if they realize how much you love them! But there is big excitement here as well. We are going to visit her over Christmas and I just pray to God that we stay healthy, and that nothing will hamper us from going. Thank you GardenGerty for a little staring at my daughter's picture and a bit of daydreaming!

I hope so. I am fairly sure that I smiled a lot at my daughter, especially when receiving awards, medals or just doing something very well. Your discussion made me think really. It i a lot better for kids emotional development if they see their parents smile a lot. I still give my daughter a kiss goodnight when she is in bed, & she is 14 years.

Well if you really love your kids that much , smiling at you kids will never be enough yea ... smiling is actually a natural reaction to show that you are friendly and attention yea ... if you did not smile to your kids enough then there might be some problem with your relationship with your family yea

Hi GardenGerty, do i smile and enjoy my kids? I would instantaneously say YES! Then you added the word enough. That made me wonder. I don't think it is enough. I wish i can have smiles and laughter everyday and all the time. But i don't and that is because i have to be the disciplinarian as well as a mom. So that in itself is difficult to juggle. We do have tons of pictures (softcopy and hardcopy) to capture most of our good times together. But i do wonder if the boys will ever remember or even appreciate those times. My older one is 6 today. He'll be in grade school come January. Time really flies but i'm sure smiles and laughter will continue to be part of our lives. And i always pray for that. God bless! - Lyn

I smile at my child's every achievement. I think as mothers, it's something we do without even thinking about it. I remember when my daughter first started primary School. She wears hearing aids and was behind everyone else in her class, so a special needs tutor was brought in for a few hours a week. At the end of the first school year, I sat in the audience and wept tears of joy as my daughter collected a prize for being Academic Pupil of the Year lol. Whether our kids are collecting awards, or whether they're refusing to sing and dance on stage along with everyone else, we as parents still sit and smile at them, because thats OUR kids up there no matter what.

Such a good observing question, and to be frank this brings the encouraging and happiness to the childrens' heart when they see the mother smiling and happy at every step they take. But some mothers are rude with their children when the child has learnt something new and wants to show the mother, she says she is busy which takes away all the happiness of the child.

I think that is something we all need to remember. We are always in such a hurry and I really don't want my kids to remember me as always being a grouch. We spend alot of time together at the campground and I hope when they get older they remember those times.

Gerty I am sure that you did I know I did and still do I think our Kids will always be our pride and Joy and we will always smile and enjoy them

well yeah i have some moments where i could say we are enjoying each company especially now that theyr are all grownups..we enjoyed shopping together and the likes...even when they were still kids we did some activities together or even attended at school and they really appreciated it very much..

It brought me to tears as I read your discussion. I can just imagine the mother smiling at her little girl. Would have loved to see that. As you know, CJ is Autistic and is in Special Olympics. We smile at him as much as we possibly can and if it looks like we're sad or upset about something he'll draw his finger across his cheeks in the shape of a smile and say, "Happy?" He gives us a big smile as he's doing it and sometimes he'll switch 'happy' to 'Love'...He is an absolute miracle from above..!

I am posting something my daughter wrote for an English assignment that her teacher shared with me. "My mother is one of the greatest pastor's wives that I know of. When my Dad first started being a youth pastor, she was afraid that people wouldn't think she was a good pastor's wife, because she said she was still the same person that she'd always been. She was wrong. Everyone who knows her-sees her as someone who loves to laugh and have fun. When she takes us to church camp, she is the first to have pranks pulled on her, because everyone wants to see how she retaliates. One year, one of the new girls put a real-looking rubber snake inside her sleeping bag. My mother screamed bloody murder. Then, she started laughing and wanted to know who was responsible. None of us would tell her who did it, so the next night, Mom Saran-Wrapped the toilet seats. We had a mess to clean up. But we all laughed, and we didn't try any pranks on Mom the rest of the camp week. When she watches movies, she laughs when it is funny, but she also cries alot, when it's sad." This is just a little bit of what she wrote for a paper entitled "A woman who has influenced my life: and what she taught me" her conclusion was "My mom (who is also my pastor's wife) taught me to laugh." You tell me! Do I smile at my kids enough? I certainly think so!

I'm sure you gave your children just exactly what they needed.... mother's just know. It is a beautiful thing to so a mom so completely proud of a child and to notice the child blossom under that nurturing.

Some school program my noughty and beutiful daugter take a part. Her part is one of fairy. She is look like the fairy truly.after the program over I went near her and kiss her and give smile and said Iam proud of you.