Magic Maker

“What a blessing it is to be my children’s magic maker.”

I saw this quote the other day and it really made me stop and think. So often, I think parents and grandparents are stretched so thin and always on-the-go that we forget what a blessing it truly is to be responsible for the childhoods our children experience. It’s easy to see our to-do lists and the endless activities that are required of us and feel overwhelmed.

Sometimes I feel like a hamster on a wheel trying to plan, budget, and execute everything that will be a memorable experience for my children. If we aren’t on our way to a birthday party or a practice, we are making sure the folders have been checked, homework done, tickets ready for the next holiday outing, and gifts bought for the next celebration. Don’t even mention making sure the outfits are ready to go and everything that needs to be wrapped.

So often we forget to catch our breaths and look around. How often have I been guilty of making sure my to-do list is done rather than just being present in the moment?

Childhood is fleeting and precious. As quickly as it’s over, it also lasts a lifetime because these are the formative years that build the foundation of stability and memories for my children. How they experience life in these short years will be how they view the world and approach life.

I want my kids to look back and remember that no matter what Mom made things happen and that they were loved. I want them to know that I love being their mom. I want them to know that even when I’m frazzled and burning my wick at both ends, being their “magic maker” was the greatest blessing of my life. Being able to see them experience the magic of Santa and hearing them tell their friends about dad’s homemade noodles will be something that I carry with me until my last breath. I want them to know that the pitter patter of excited feet running down the hall in the morning to tell me that the Tooth Fairy came while missing their front tooth is one of my fondest memories of their childhood.

I may be their “Magic Maker” for now, but what they don’t realize is that seeing them experience magic in their childhoods heals a piece of your heart that you did not know needed repair. They don’t really understand or appreciate it now. And that’s all right because I know they also won’t understand this until they become a “Magic Maker” for their own children one day. At that time, they will understand the extent of how much they were loved and how hard I tried to make sure everything was special.

For now, I will relish the pitter patters in the mornings and the excitement of holiday baking lists and letters to Santa.

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.