Katrina, I first saw this video over a year ago and I was a ball of tears by the 4 minute mark. I've always been a very hands on daddy to my little girls who are now 5 and 8. I pride myself in trying to make sure I'm never too busy for them, and your video made me glad that's the way I've been. Even if I get frustrated with them, I think of your video and realize how fast they are growing. Seeing photos of them taken only a few months ago bears that out. I just can't watch this without crying.
i'm not even a mother yet and i cried lol i think i'm gonna get this book for my mom it's so sweet!: ) maybe it will help her next year when my little brother goes to college!!
August 2011 How beautiful - I am so looking forward to reading this book as I let go of my first of two sons who are thirteen months apart. Thank you for sharing - you reading your book and, listening to your son play the piano. Inspirational. Thank you Karen for sharing with me Katrina's book.
It hurts. I want my mother to watch this video. I want her to accept the truth that all of us have grown up and she needs to worry less about us. Thanks for this video.
I loved this. My brother is 13 and I miss the little guy he used to be. Though I will say he's grown into a teenager I can be very proud of. It stinks to be looking up at him though. >.< He's been taller than me for a year and I can no longer call him my little brother. *lol*
No, this is not sad. Children are meant to take off and fly, have their own lives. I was afraid that she was talking about something else. This is not sad, this is how it should be. We do not own them.
Omg this made me cry and I'm only 19, not married, and no kids. But wow, this is how life is but is very hard to let go, I wish my 8 year old brother who never grow up :'(
It's moments like these and every moment with our children that we should cherish... I am lost for words, this video is truely amazing..... Thank you for making me see these things with new perspective... Motherhood is the best... I love being a mom
I sit here on my 49th Birthday as I listen to this reading and am overwhelemed not by "The Gift of the Ordinary Day" that the author describes, but rather of the Perfect Days we all wish for that never were. The perfect life of family and simple glorious & touching memories do not fill my head, bur rather the reality of life's disappointments - an absent father, a handicapped mother, siblings fighting, fixed incomes, living in poverty, being different, & wanting with all your heart to be loved.
@BornGayTaughtToHate: If I could, I would give you a hug. And...I bet you have been, and are, loved more than you allow yourself to recognize and acknowledge. May you seek outside yourself for purposes and love to be revealed.
@Skinhorse61 - I didn't mean to bring you down, but hearing that wonderful life only puts into perspective what I never had, or ever will have. I am sure someone has to love me, right, I do have 1 relative that still talks to me, my sister, who life teeters in the balance with breast cancer. I lost my job over 2-1/2 years ago, followed by my home, then bankruptcy - my very existence is moot. Yet I trudge on in hopes that one day God will show me the way out of this misery. I need a Purpose!
@BornGayTaughtToHate: I empathize with your situation, and have hopes that you will find the wherewithal to ACTIVELY seek God's grace to help you come out of the shadows of doubt and the darkness of despair. You decide your journey's accompanying attitudes. I, too, have had breast cancer, was laid off for 10.5 months in 2009, and have zero siblings and few other family members to speak of. Finally met my father in 1999 and have seen him 6 times in all. Mom passed in 2002. (to be con't)
@BornGayTaughtToHate: (con't from last post)...We all have some story to tell, some bitterness to either overcome, or be smothered by. CHOOSE your way, then seek assistance from qualified and caring helpers--be they family, friends, counselors, or church leaders. You are not alone. As you progress, you will discover, I think, that your existence is far from being moot. Somehow, even pockets of joy can sustain us another thousand miles, at least. Come. Come out from where you are now.
@BornGayTaughtToHate: Just remembered a song, written and sung by a young friend of mine, that you might be moved by. It has certainly moved me. May it inspire you to pick up from where you are at now....and start again. Look up CIRCUS by Jonathan Thwaits on YouTube.
What a powerful message! Thank you so much for these words! Right after I watched this video, I wrote a post at Live with Flair about not seeing our children as "interruptions" to our real lives. They are our lives.
Couldn't help but cry as a flood of memories came to mind. Not just those of my children, but grandchildren and now great grandchildren. Your words really touched my soul.
wow - this made me stop and appreciate everything that I have right now - two healthy, happy teenaged boys who bring out the both the best and the worst in me. Every day is a gift - the good and the bad! It is all part of life. And, yes, I cried!
My partner and I adopted 2 boys. They are now 7 and 5. I am a stay at home dad and have been since our boys were born. I was in the hospital room when both boys were born and got to cut their umbilical cords. While listening to this video it brought tears to my eyes because they are growing up so fast. It has made me cherish every moment and put aside my housework when the boys want to play with me because soon they will not ask me anymore.
My partner and I adopted 2 boys. They are now 7 and 5. I am a stay at home dad and have been since our boys were born. I was in the hospital room when both boys were born and got to cut their umbilical cords. While listening to this video it brought tears to my eyes because they are growing up so fast. It has made me cherish every moment and put aside my housework when the boys want to play with me because soon they will not ask me anymore.
I thought this was the most touching words that a mother could ever say to explain to another mother how to treasure the moments we have with our kids. Very well written.
My son is almost 16 months old. Some days, I imagine what he'll be like as a young boy and as a teen and then as a young man. Then I glance over and watch him sleeping, the only time I still see the baby he was just a breath ago and I I dont want it to rush. This is beautiful and made me cry.
My youngest just graduated from high school last week. I made it through the awards ceremony, him receiving his diploma and making the valedictory speech, his last competitive tennis match, grad night, all of it - without shedding a tear. I had to hold it together. A friend sent me this and this morning, I finally cried. I needed that. Truly a moving message and one all moms should see.
@Myers922 I'm glad you finally let it out. I don't think we are meant to hold it together and that in doing so we do violence to ourselves. Our hearts need to breathe just as our lungs do. When we hold it together we often paint a smile on our faces to cover up our feelings and wonder why we have a headache at the end of the day. Yesterday, I had a breakdown of laughter and tears because I have been holding it together for far too long. May we all fall apart and expose our tender loving hearts.
Sitting here reflecting on good memories and days of yore, and as "swiftly as a breeze on a warm summer day" my baby boy was gone. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY.
my eldest son, jacob, has passed away at 43 years of age. we are so bereft. thank you for sharing the going aways as gradual as they are. i hope you never have to face saying the last goodbye.
I've never written a comment on any video but thisone touched me so much that I had to say something!!!!! .I wish I had seen this 20 years earlier because I would've taken more photos,I would've hugged them more,I would've said more "I love you" I would 've.... I would've......I would've ??????
On my 3rd Mother's Day, I watch this as my 3 year old son naps and baby # 2 is days or minutes away from making his or her arrival in the world. I am bawling. I didn't need this video to remind me to live in the present of all of the ordinary moments we have in our home, but nonetheless, it is a reminder that these days are not forever. I will continue remembering to take snapshots in my mind of all of these everyday memories and take them all in fully. Thank you for sharing this!
... I am half way across the globe from my 5-year old son. First time being away from him on Mother's day. This made me cry. The message is so beautiful and sad at the same time for me. It gave me the feelings of love, being loved, hope, and yet... most of all, I wish my son was here with me so I could give him a big hug and kiss...
how inspiring & beautiful...this made me cry; tears of joy, grateful tears, happy tears that refuse to be sad because i'm so blessed...now, i'm off to hug my sons :)
Beautiful images. A great celebration of mothers. It reminds me of a quote by Reed Markham, an American Educator, "Mothers can look through a child's eyes and see tomorrow."
wow, this made my day!!! My boys are 6 and 5. I'm terrified of the day when I ask my son "who's baby are you?" and he doesn't respond "mommy's baby... forever and ever"... It's amazing how the little things really are the things you cherish the most when looking back. Thank you for this video, it puts motherhood into an amazing perspective.
This woman is such a gift... thank you for helping me refocus my whole way of thinking about being a mother during this tough first year. I feel like you have changed the way I see it all. Thank you,
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What nonsense. Most life with small children is dull and repetitive, and attempting to romanticise that in soft focus and simpering prose is daft. If you "define yourself through your kids", as the author appears to think is necessary, then you have to dress up the ordinary stuff, otherwise you might just wonder why you forgot to live your own life. Please may my own daughter be saved from the pernicious fiction that this kind of sacrificial motherhood ought to be her future.
@bikeshed16 Man oh man do I ever agree with you! I have 2 amazing grown up daughters with incredible ideas and passionate plans all because I didn't subject myself to this kind of smarmy pap. Now my DH and I are engaged in the second half of our lives without a backward glance to those stultifyingly boring days of repetition and chaos both. I was directed here by a well meaning friend - thank you for your articulate perspective - I won't be back for anymore of this "simpering prose."
Too bad that you can't see she's only offering HER perspective of life, and it doesn't challenge yours in any way. I understand completely - I love(d) being a mom and while life is good now, with my boys in their 20's, there are things that happen when they're young that just aren't the same when they grow up. Those are some of my sweetest memories, and they are sweet treasures in my mind.
This is for mom1960, too - yeah, sometimes days were boring, but I cherished it as it happened
I loved the video as the mother of 7 grown children I know the truth in what you said. I too had tears, but they were softened by the remembering, and the knowing that the times of our lives, are graced with just such moments as this.
and I filled the fridge, and filled the fridge and he grew to a wonderful man...now I have the pleasure of smelling the freshly washed hair of my grandson :) Yes, we're all the same...right down to the Timberland boots!
I loved this, bought the book, hoping to find it. The book has some of these quotes, but only a few. Does anyone know if you can purchase or find the exact monologue somewhere?
never was a truer word spoken Katrina...the heart breaks, bleeds and sobs itself silly...but gratitude reigns high for all those ordinary days, perfectly ordinary days...
As a mother of a HS Senior, I can totally relate. I cried because KK's message is just what I am feeling. I too have come to realize that it is the ordinary days that make my life, not special event. I am off to buy this book.
I have three sons. One moved away when he went to college and although he has moved back to town, he never moved back home. Another moved out a few months ago. The middle son is building a house and moving out then getting married this fall. This video really hit home with me.
This video was wonderful. It cut right to the heart of every parent's feelings about the joy of raising a child and the ambivalence of watching them become their own person but along with that, having to let them go. It was such a beautiful way to describe the most important role we can ever play in life - being a parent!
I don't know how the reader was able to get through that without sobbing--as I am now after having watched it. That was beautiful and true and heart-rending. Thank you.
That was so beautiful and well put. My boys are 17 and almost 15 and it is very hard to let go. I love every moment of being a mom and yes the teenage years are tough but they come around again. Thanks for this I loved it.
mom of 5, grandmom of 12.....and the truth of these words still needed to be heard. It does go so quickly.....but some good news for those of you in the process! Once YOUR child has his or her own child they seem to 'get it!'.....and it is another wonderful stage of sharing as a Mom.
just want to thank you for reminding me how fast they grow. My boys are 4, 2 and NB so they are still little...but you really gave me a reality check. <3
Thank you so much for sharing this. I watched it twice and was still bawling. The love we have and share for our children...the moments pass but the memories it leaves behind make them so sweet to have experienced it. The tough times come along with the blissful times. It's worth it.
What a wonderful reflection to cherish the daily moments with all of our family members. After having been through some rough spinal sugeries I can say I couldn't wait to get back to doing my ordinary chores, cleaning, washing dihes, grocery shopping, driving...each minute we have is precious. Every mom & dad can relate to the passage of time in our families and their ever changing nature > Thanks for this lovely video ! PS- My son just cleaned out his room to move out of our home for marriage
Loved it! Have an 18 year old finishing the first year of college, who still is a kid, and have a 15 year old that still wants dad to make his lunch. It is a blast! Would not trade it! Thanks!
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ok, this video has an important observation, but how do we relate to a group of white middle age and class women sitting, thinking in a room, when most of the world is struggling to survive while producing the products for this white bread world? I think maybe the disconnect between ourselves and our world goes some way in perpetuating these patterns of alienation.
we who? i'm a middle-aged not so white sorta middle class woman and i was able to relate and be touched by her "observation" - some emotions are universal and i don't believe there is an intent to perpetuate a pattern of alienation in sharing her truth
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I see a world where we grow up in groups, insulated from others: groups of teenagers in waynes world, parents struggling to make the morgage, homeless in the third world scraping for a living in the dirt, elderly in Florida in their sunset years and students with credit cards on spring break, sweatshops and wall street. Do we know where our Nikes come from or our food, where our waste goes or how the 3 generations of our family feel today? See "Manufactured Landscapes." We are the priveleged.
@2handsclapping This video is about appreciating & loving your children in the most ordinary moments, not taking for granted that it will last forever. You can love your children regardless of your financial status, or racial ethnicity. You must obviously not have children, because you miss the point completely.
As the FATHER of a one and a half year old, I want to say thanks too. This inspires me to work harder at being lazy with our little boy, of wasting time with him in the best sense of the word. Life is short and we should indeed celebrate the sacrament of the present moment! "To see the miraculous within the ordinary is the mark of highest wisdom." - Ralph W. Emerson
As the video went on I feared that she was talking of a loved one she lost to death. However, it showed that she was not remembering a loved one or ones due to death, but to life and growing up. As I saw this transition, I began to cry realizing that this is something I will be and am going through with my three girls. All I can say is WOW and thank you for expressing how every mother feels about their children.
i don't even have the words to express how this made me feel, and that is unusual for me! raised three boysand a girl; they grew up oh-so suddenly and i remain so vigilant; loving, sad, proud, anticipating. thank you.
'you wonder where you went wrong' it's not the mothers that did anything wrong, it's american culture, media, and society ruining kids!! trust me, i'm one of them.
Beautiful message! The music in the background was well done, too. This video reminds me of the song, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" by Darius Rucker. Thank you for reminding us to appreciate each moment!
Thank you for a wonderful reminder about the important things in life. It arrived just as my husband and I were pulling our hair out to try and keep the kids busy during school break.
Don't forget that the ordinary day's have not ended..there are lots more..with your grown children, your mate, and if your lucky...grandchildren..your message is to truly live in the moment, thats all we truly have, thanks for reminding us so beautifuly.
Thank you for this. I am a mom of 3 kids under 5 and I need to watch this periodically!!! I posted it to my blog for easy review. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reminding me that I love my job. Being a mom is the best!
That was beautiful! Makes me cherish my daughter so much more for who she is now, and who she will become later. It's so easy to take all the little things for granted, to be angry when you rise in the middle of the night to change a diaper, to rush around when you are running late and trying to get your child ready--when we should be grateful we have a child to care for in the first place. May this video remind me of all the ordinary moments, and cherish them forever. --LW
Wonderful! Tears rolling down my cheeks. A friend sent this to me and it speaks so well of an experience so many women - and men - share when the kids grow up. Thanks for this. It struck a perfect note.
Tear, gulp, tear... What a beautiful expression. I too want all of those days back. My 13 & soon to be 11 year old grew when I was watching but I still don't remember seeing it. Thank you for the reminder.
This is quite a beautiful video. I never took my children's youth for granted. I chose to be a great mom. The parent calls the shots and decides what time breakfast, lunch and dinner will occur. Moms can control their children wearing helmets, what television programs they watch, etc. When the children grow up, they make their own decisions (some which mom does not agree with and knows is not "safe"), but it is then that you understand you are no longer in control.
Absolutely wonderful on right on. I cherish every moment of those ordinary days as I now have fast forward, living alone and seeing all around me those special moments that weren't so ordinary after all. All three of my kids struggled during the high school years and beyond so this hit home more than you can ever imagine. Thanks you so much for sharing a beautifully written piece which let me shed a few tears. Reid Wettersten
Oh but a vapor! And yes, every day has been a treasure that I have withheld, and each grow more precious than the day before. I can't get enough and I am losing my grip. Thank you for sharing heart to heart, that which we know all too well, letting go, bit by bit.
As I type with my eyes all blurry from tears, I think to my own daughter who is in the process of deciding which college to attend. I can't imagine the house without her smiling face, but encourage her to move on knowing that come September I'll be lost without her. Thank you for giving me the courage to face this chapter and enjoy every day as it comes.
I have three boys of my own and I try to enjoy each of our days. My three year old was hanging on my lap and crying as I was watching your touching video and I tried to even cherish that! Thank you for sharing your beautiful words!
very touching, brought tears to my eyes, so true, so true, days come and go so fast, that we take advantage not to realize and enjoy each and every moment of our children growing up the way we should
Katrina . . .ironic that I was just "surfing" the net for colleges to visit for my oldest son who is a sophomore in high school. His brother is a freshman. Your pictures are so like the pictures of my own two boys. Your sentiments so much of what I feel and know. Right now the bedroom doors are open and I cherish each moment my sons pop their heads out to ask if I will make them food or to ask me, "Mom, what should I do? " Time flies so cherish each and every moment.
You are truly amazing. I have two boys of my own 5 and 7. Thank you for posting. My friend sent it to me and I am so glad that she did. I am going to send to my friends and family.
Very well described...when my mother used to tell me "enjoy your kids" I wanted them to grow..but now i am a grandmother and i wish i enjoyed them more.!!! ..Young, we thought that they would never grow, but the truth, time goes fast and they grow up so fast...I tell all the young parents, to enjoy their children, and have fun while youre educating them...they re guests while it lasts.. and will leave soon enough.....
I have an 8 month old and everything you said about them growing made me cry. I was just looking at his pictures when he was born and just cried to myself because it is going by so fast! Thatnk you Katrina. This made me feel a little bit better, but I am still teriffied of him growing up. :( wish he would stay small forever. Again Thank you.
As a relatively new mother of a 17 month old baby girl I found this to be one of the most beautiful things I have read about motherhood. Becoming a mother as changed so many things in me and this really brings it home. Thank you Katrina for your beautiful words. As parents we are the luckiest people in the world to have this experience and the strongest to be able to survive it.
This was the most amazing thing I have ever heard! It is so true. We are here to raise our kids the best that we can do, and they grow up so quickly. Before we know it they are in college. What Katrina said, had me in tears. I have four children, ages 13-20, and it was just yesterday that they were born, and now they are in college. Love them with all of your heart and give them as much encouragement to do and be the best person that they can be.
Thanks Katrina for such true and honest words. As a mother of three adult "children" and four grandchildren I can tell you that it never ends - the joy, the intense love and also the worry. I hope that your children who have grown will return with their children to give you more amazing moments and love. Our children, whether they are one or 41, always remain the centre of our lives and hearts.
While I am not a Mom, I am one extremely involved Dad. I have a little girl, age 10 (almost 11), who is in the pre-teen mode. This was such an awesome portrayal of what we as parents go through with our children and have the honor to enjoy! This is a great reminder to drink each second of every day as though it is the last sip of coffee you will ever have! Thank you so much for sharing!
Kids call your mom! lol! No seriously it was beautiful but she is a lucky woman who should be rejoicing while reading this. I lost my 2 kids in a divorce because my ex threatened me if they didn't reside with him. Well once they became teens they realized their father was a jerk. So my daughter lives with me but my son wanted to finish school so stayed on with dad although it's been difficult. I am close with my kids but still, having missed all those "ordinary days" is very sad for all of us.
Wow! This is so incredibly compelling!!
Thanks for sharing.
smaexpress 1 week ago
Katrina, I first saw this video over a year ago and I was a ball of tears by the 4 minute mark. I've always been a very hands on daddy to my little girls who are now 5 and 8. I pride myself in trying to make sure I'm never too busy for them, and your video made me glad that's the way I've been. Even if I get frustrated with them, I think of your video and realize how fast they are growing. Seeing photos of them taken only a few months ago bears that out. I just can't watch this without crying.
scottl99 2 months ago
i'm not even a mother yet and i cried lol i think i'm gonna get this book for my mom it's so sweet!: ) maybe it will help her next year when my little brother goes to college!!
MsTinkerbelle87 5 months ago
August 2011 How beautiful - I am so looking forward to reading this book as I let go of my first of two sons who are thirteen months apart. Thank you for sharing - you reading your book and, listening to your son play the piano. Inspirational. Thank you Karen for sharing with me Katrina's book.
slppam1 5 months ago
Oh how true, BUT a mothers reward is grandchildren and we get to see it all over again. The difference is now there is time for all special moments.
superpowner100 7 months ago
It hurts. I want my mother to watch this video. I want her to accept the truth that all of us have grown up and she needs to worry less about us. Thanks for this video.
MarshmellowFREAK 7 months ago
Sooooooo Beautiful. How very true, too. Thank you. THANK YOU !
damama55 8 months ago
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ypdrummer7 8 months ago
I'm 15, and this has taught me how my parents feel. I have been and still am going through these stages.
TeHuHa 9 months ago
I loved this. My brother is 13 and I miss the little guy he used to be. Though I will say he's grown into a teenager I can be very proud of. It stinks to be looking up at him though. >.< He's been taller than me for a year and I can no longer call him my little brother. *lol*
BitsyTheNinja 10 months ago
No, this is not sad. Children are meant to take off and fly, have their own lives. I was afraid that she was talking about something else. This is not sad, this is how it should be. We do not own them.
ioanatimariu 11 months ago
Omg this made me cry and I'm only 19, not married, and no kids. But wow, this is how life is but is very hard to let go, I wish my 8 year old brother who never grow up :'(
darkshadows27 11 months ago
It's moments like these and every moment with our children that we should cherish... I am lost for words, this video is truely amazing..... Thank you for making me see these things with new perspective... Motherhood is the best... I love being a mom
peppermintpj 1 year ago
I sit here on my 49th Birthday as I listen to this reading and am overwhelemed not by "The Gift of the Ordinary Day" that the author describes, but rather of the Perfect Days we all wish for that never were. The perfect life of family and simple glorious & touching memories do not fill my head, bur rather the reality of life's disappointments - an absent father, a handicapped mother, siblings fighting, fixed incomes, living in poverty, being different, & wanting with all your heart to be loved.
BornGayTaughtToHate 1 year ago
@BornGayTaughtToHate: If I could, I would give you a hug. And...I bet you have been, and are, loved more than you allow yourself to recognize and acknowledge. May you seek outside yourself for purposes and love to be revealed.
Skinhorse61 1 year ago
@Skinhorse61 - I didn't mean to bring you down, but hearing that wonderful life only puts into perspective what I never had, or ever will have. I am sure someone has to love me, right, I do have 1 relative that still talks to me, my sister, who life teeters in the balance with breast cancer. I lost my job over 2-1/2 years ago, followed by my home, then bankruptcy - my very existence is moot. Yet I trudge on in hopes that one day God will show me the way out of this misery. I need a Purpose!
BornGayTaughtToHate 1 year ago
@BornGayTaughtToHate: I empathize with your situation, and have hopes that you will find the wherewithal to ACTIVELY seek God's grace to help you come out of the shadows of doubt and the darkness of despair. You decide your journey's accompanying attitudes. I, too, have had breast cancer, was laid off for 10.5 months in 2009, and have zero siblings and few other family members to speak of. Finally met my father in 1999 and have seen him 6 times in all. Mom passed in 2002. (to be con't)
Skinhorse61 11 months ago
@BornGayTaughtToHate: (con't from last post)...We all have some story to tell, some bitterness to either overcome, or be smothered by. CHOOSE your way, then seek assistance from qualified and caring helpers--be they family, friends, counselors, or church leaders. You are not alone. As you progress, you will discover, I think, that your existence is far from being moot. Somehow, even pockets of joy can sustain us another thousand miles, at least. Come. Come out from where you are now.
Skinhorse61 11 months ago
@BornGayTaughtToHate: Just remembered a song, written and sung by a young friend of mine, that you might be moved by. It has certainly moved me. May it inspire you to pick up from where you are at now....and start again. Look up CIRCUS by Jonathan Thwaits on YouTube.
Skinhorse61 11 months ago
What a powerful message! Thank you so much for these words! Right after I watched this video, I wrote a post at Live with Flair about not seeing our children as "interruptions" to our real lives. They are our lives.
LivewithFlair 1 year ago
On my daughter's 17th birthday, this means even more. THANK YOU. What a beautiful synopsis of motherhood!
littlewhitedogs2 1 year ago
Couldn't help but cry as a flood of memories came to mind. Not just those of my children, but grandchildren and now great grandchildren. Your words really touched my soul.
tommielouise 1 year ago
Oh my God, this made me realise how much we need to enjoy the now and not worry about the future. Lovely.
THALIDO 1 year ago
lovely message......
comeundone1102 1 year ago
That was so beautiful said, wow.
sheepeace 1 year ago
wow - this made me stop and appreciate everything that I have right now - two healthy, happy teenaged boys who bring out the both the best and the worst in me. Every day is a gift - the good and the bad! It is all part of life. And, yes, I cried!
megankdoyle 1 year ago
cut the cord
thomasphoyt 1 year ago
a video meant to be seen by me today... I am grateful.
mommemia4 1 year ago
thumbs up if your mom made you watch this and started to cry
kxrebel123 1 year ago
Awww this made me want t ocry...
Youdidwhatforacookie 1 year ago
Yes
twish1999 1 year ago
My partner and I adopted 2 boys. They are now 7 and 5. I am a stay at home dad and have been since our boys were born. I was in the hospital room when both boys were born and got to cut their umbilical cords. While listening to this video it brought tears to my eyes because they are growing up so fast. It has made me cherish every moment and put aside my housework when the boys want to play with me because soon they will not ask me anymore.
ladiedivina88 1 year ago 3
My partner and I adopted 2 boys. They are now 7 and 5. I am a stay at home dad and have been since our boys were born. I was in the hospital room when both boys were born and got to cut their umbilical cords. While listening to this video it brought tears to my eyes because they are growing up so fast. It has made me cherish every moment and put aside my housework when the boys want to play with me because soon they will not ask me anymore.
ladiedivina88 1 year ago
Thank you for this, Katrina. But, wait.... How did you get in my head like that? I will cherish being a mom every day of my life. Thank you :-)
michelleshafagh 1 year ago
makes me miss my mom.
kmaedke 1 year ago
Really, really puts our crazy "ordinary days into perspective!!! Enjoy every moment!!
MegaCandiecane 1 year ago
I try to remember this perspective. I just wish my husband would remember this more often.
frogmama29 1 year ago
Very Well Said!!! Thank you!!
mjhugs3 1 year ago
Amen, that had me bawling at 04:30. Very touching....
YahwehOrNoWay1 1 year ago
How was there one dry eye in that room?
BEAUTIFUL!
WORRO01 1 year ago
I thought this was the most touching words that a mother could ever say to explain to another mother how to treasure the moments we have with our kids. Very well written.
apintogonzalez76 1 year ago
My son is almost 16 months old. Some days, I imagine what he'll be like as a young boy and as a teen and then as a young man. Then I glance over and watch him sleeping, the only time I still see the baby he was just a breath ago and I I dont want it to rush. This is beautiful and made me cry.
Mama2KOA 1 year ago
My youngest just graduated from high school last week. I made it through the awards ceremony, him receiving his diploma and making the valedictory speech, his last competitive tennis match, grad night, all of it - without shedding a tear. I had to hold it together. A friend sent me this and this morning, I finally cried. I needed that. Truly a moving message and one all moms should see.
Myers922 1 year ago 6
@Myers922 I'm glad you finally let it out. I don't think we are meant to hold it together and that in doing so we do violence to ourselves. Our hearts need to breathe just as our lungs do. When we hold it together we often paint a smile on our faces to cover up our feelings and wonder why we have a headache at the end of the day. Yesterday, I had a breakdown of laughter and tears because I have been holding it together for far too long. May we all fall apart and expose our tender loving hearts.
claudelebel55 2 months ago
Very Nice
proudgmaof4 1 year ago
7 minutes of wonderful. WOW. Puts today, this day, in perspective. BEAUTIFUL! Thanks Tina for sharing this.
kvspratto 1 year ago
I love this!
All parents should watch this while their children are still young.
Bless you!
clellard 1 year ago
My baby boy turns 45 on thursday, May 20th.
Sitting here reflecting on good memories and days of yore, and as "swiftly as a breeze on a warm summer day" my baby boy was gone. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY.
ALWAYS LOVE,
Mum
pgreyinc13 1 year ago
l really needed to see this today. Truly beautiful.
livikitty8 1 year ago
I love this video. I use it in teaching my adoption class on Bonding and Attachment of your children. Wonderful!!
sharonkillen 1 year ago
my eldest son, jacob, has passed away at 43 years of age. we are so bereft. thank you for sharing the going aways as gradual as they are. i hope you never have to face saying the last goodbye.
fibrosd 1 year ago
This is a blessing to all moms :) Thank you Katrina♥
teachermomva 1 year ago
You just described my past 23 years with my two boys to an absolute tee! Thanks
jdidero 1 year ago
Without a doubt the most powerful and profound 7 minutes I have had on YouTube.
nalanostrebor 1 year ago
Mary, saw your post about the "ordinary day" and wanted to pass this on to you.
MsAnderson154 1 year ago
OMG so beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
emsaju 1 year ago
I have watched this many times, and it still leaves me speechless, in tears.
matchbookmemo 1 year ago
sweet :)
Jenni4Design 1 year ago
I've never written a comment on any video but thisone touched me so much that I had to say something!!!!! .I wish I had seen this 20 years earlier because I would've taken more photos,I would've hugged them more,I would've said more "I love you" I would 've.... I would've......I would've ??????
sharabghermez 1 year ago
So wonderful. Thanks for this. I was totally bawling my eyes out.
cathrinwitt 1 year ago
good story, but very sad!
TheRascalFlattsfan6 1 year ago
So beautiful...
TheDonmar 1 year ago
I loved the book but listening to it was even MORE touching. Thank you! Wow.
VitoMan999 1 year ago
I love ordinary days! I miss them!
braffle 1 year ago
On my 3rd Mother's Day, I watch this as my 3 year old son naps and baby # 2 is days or minutes away from making his or her arrival in the world. I am bawling. I didn't need this video to remind me to live in the present of all of the ordinary moments we have in our home, but nonetheless, it is a reminder that these days are not forever. I will continue remembering to take snapshots in my mind of all of these everyday memories and take them all in fully. Thank you for sharing this!
Schatztube 1 year ago
Your poem is very touching and accurate. You are wonderfully gifted, and your son is very talented as well! God Bless you both!
EmmasAngel07 1 year ago
... I am half way across the globe from my 5-year old son. First time being away from him on Mother's day. This made me cry. The message is so beautiful and sad at the same time for me. It gave me the feelings of love, being loved, hope, and yet... most of all, I wish my son was here with me so I could give him a big hug and kiss...
... and gmg, I'd better call my mom :)
MoreCupCakes1 1 year ago
Thank you so much for expressing the feelings that many of us had. It's beautiful. Of course it made me sniffle.. How beautiful.
42day1 1 year ago
how inspiring & beautiful...this made me cry; tears of joy, grateful tears, happy tears that refuse to be sad because i'm so blessed...now, i'm off to hug my sons :)
sapphireaster78 1 year ago
Absolutely beautiful..............and ahhhhhhhhh so very true! Really touched me....
kevinwon 1 year ago
Beautiful..loved it and it made my day..I have a 2yo, 4yo and 6yo and this reminds me to enjoy every minute with them and cherish it.
anshuiyer 1 year ago
For all my fellow Mom's celebrating Mother's Day in a week...this will move you to tears.
Kzwief 1 year ago
Beautiful images. A great celebration of mothers. It reminds me of a quote by Reed Markham, an American Educator, "Mothers can look through a child's eyes and see tomorrow."
bjarnson 1 year ago
wow, this made my day!!! My boys are 6 and 5. I'm terrified of the day when I ask my son "who's baby are you?" and he doesn't respond "mommy's baby... forever and ever"... It's amazing how the little things really are the things you cherish the most when looking back. Thank you for this video, it puts motherhood into an amazing perspective.
kittiekhaos26 1 year ago
BEAUTIFUL!
mamsley3 1 year ago
This woman is such a gift... thank you for helping me refocus my whole way of thinking about being a mother during this tough first year. I feel like you have changed the way I see it all. Thank you,
Jessica
dogparkgirl 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
What nonsense. Most life with small children is dull and repetitive, and attempting to romanticise that in soft focus and simpering prose is daft. If you "define yourself through your kids", as the author appears to think is necessary, then you have to dress up the ordinary stuff, otherwise you might just wonder why you forgot to live your own life. Please may my own daughter be saved from the pernicious fiction that this kind of sacrificial motherhood ought to be her future.
bikeshed16 1 year ago
@bikeshed16 Man oh man do I ever agree with you! I have 2 amazing grown up daughters with incredible ideas and passionate plans all because I didn't subject myself to this kind of smarmy pap. Now my DH and I are engaged in the second half of our lives without a backward glance to those stultifyingly boring days of repetition and chaos both. I was directed here by a well meaning friend - thank you for your articulate perspective - I won't be back for anymore of this "simpering prose."
mom1960 1 year ago
@bikeshed16... Being a parent is about sacrifice and you come across as having had a very bad day!
skb12573 1 year ago
@skb12573 -
Too bad that you can't see she's only offering HER perspective of life, and it doesn't challenge yours in any way. I understand completely - I love(d) being a mom and while life is good now, with my boys in their 20's, there are things that happen when they're young that just aren't the same when they grow up. Those are some of my sweetest memories, and they are sweet treasures in my mind.
This is for mom1960, too - yeah, sometimes days were boring, but I cherished it as it happened
QuilterDeb 1 year ago
I loved the video as the mother of 7 grown children I know the truth in what you said. I too had tears, but they were softened by the remembering, and the knowing that the times of our lives, are graced with just such moments as this.
spiritpraise 1 year ago
and I filled the fridge, and filled the fridge and he grew to a wonderful man...now I have the pleasure of smelling the freshly washed hair of my grandson :) Yes, we're all the same...right down to the Timberland boots!
8thwonderofthew0rld 1 year ago
This is my story too. Are we all the same?
Thank you, Katrina.
Linda Marten
LindaMarten 1 year ago
What a wonderful mother you are. What passion! I know your thoughts, I know how hard it is to have an empty nest. God bless you.
Great videio.
Deb
NOVSEV
novsev 1 year ago
I loved this, bought the book, hoping to find it. The book has some of these quotes, but only a few. Does anyone know if you can purchase or find the exact monologue somewhere?
hamptonhal 1 year ago
That was amazing!! It is all so true and wonderful!!
dorkgrl26 1 year ago
Wonderful wonderful wonderful...Poignant and honest to the core
Kettleclan 1 year ago
Comment removed
zenguitarguy1 1 year ago
Im 13 and bawling!
Delictious 1 year ago
tHATS SOO MUCH
KGootkin 1 year ago
never was a truer word spoken Katrina...the heart breaks, bleeds and sobs itself silly...but gratitude reigns high for all those ordinary days, perfectly ordinary days...
bilvapatra 1 year ago
Thanks for sharing this, I think we should enjoy more with our children.
naeemmoosa 1 year ago
thank you
keenembfl2 1 year ago
As a mother of a HS Senior, I can totally relate. I cried because KK's message is just what I am feeling. I too have come to realize that it is the ordinary days that make my life, not special event. I am off to buy this book.
lizxcham 1 year ago
Great video! Thanks for sharing it :)
roya1342 1 year ago
I have three sons. One moved away when he went to college and although he has moved back to town, he never moved back home. Another moved out a few months ago. The middle son is building a house and moving out then getting married this fall. This video really hit home with me.
kamsue101 1 year ago
This video was wonderful. It cut right to the heart of every parent's feelings about the joy of raising a child and the ambivalence of watching them become their own person but along with that, having to let them go. It was such a beautiful way to describe the most important role we can ever play in life - being a parent!
clswkr 1 year ago
I don't know how the reader was able to get through that without sobbing--as I am now after having watched it. That was beautiful and true and heart-rending. Thank you.
Susiemama 1 year ago
That was so beautiful and well put. My boys are 17 and almost 15 and it is very hard to let go. I love every moment of being a mom and yes the teenage years are tough but they come around again. Thanks for this I loved it.
darceyred 1 year ago 9
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!!
vhmcintosh 1 year ago
mom of 5, grandmom of 12.....and the truth of these words still needed to be heard. It does go so quickly.....but some good news for those of you in the process! Once YOUR child has his or her own child they seem to 'get it!'.....and it is another wonderful stage of sharing as a Mom.
nhshap 1 year ago
im 7 my mother let me watch this and it took me 2 tears. :(
cph72002 1 year ago
just want to thank you for reminding me how fast they grow. My boys are 4, 2 and NB so they are still little...but you really gave me a reality check. <3
acbrignall 1 year ago
Thank you so much for sharing this. I watched it twice and was still bawling. The love we have and share for our children...the moments pass but the memories it leaves behind make them so sweet to have experienced it. The tough times come along with the blissful times. It's worth it.
gennyandjames 1 year ago
What a wonderful reflection to cherish the daily moments with all of our family members. After having been through some rough spinal sugeries I can say I couldn't wait to get back to doing my ordinary chores, cleaning, washing dihes, grocery shopping, driving...each minute we have is precious. Every mom & dad can relate to the passage of time in our families and their ever changing nature > Thanks for this lovely video ! PS- My son just cleaned out his room to move out of our home for marriage
Godlovingalways 1 year ago
how perfect...our oldest is graduating from college in May and his younger brother from high school in June...
Loved it
jdrose721 1 year ago
Loved it! Have an 18 year old finishing the first year of college, who still is a kid, and have a 15 year old that still wants dad to make his lunch. It is a blast! Would not trade it! Thanks!
twhditto 1 year ago
I loved this video...It brought me to tears
shayshay51 1 year ago
I loved it....It brought me to tears
shayshay51 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
ok, this video has an important observation, but how do we relate to a group of white middle age and class women sitting, thinking in a room, when most of the world is struggling to survive while producing the products for this white bread world? I think maybe the disconnect between ourselves and our world goes some way in perpetuating these patterns of alienation.
2handsclapping 1 year ago
we who? i'm a middle-aged not so white sorta middle class woman and i was able to relate and be touched by her "observation" - some emotions are universal and i don't believe there is an intent to perpetuate a pattern of alienation in sharing her truth
mrleviii 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I see a world where we grow up in groups, insulated from others: groups of teenagers in waynes world, parents struggling to make the morgage, homeless in the third world scraping for a living in the dirt, elderly in Florida in their sunset years and students with credit cards on spring break, sweatshops and wall street. Do we know where our Nikes come from or our food, where our waste goes or how the 3 generations of our family feel today? See "Manufactured Landscapes." We are the priveleged.
2handsclapping 1 year ago
so sorry you can't see one woman's happiness without making a political statement
TheCarrieC 1 year ago
@2handsclapping This video is about appreciating & loving your children in the most ordinary moments, not taking for granted that it will last forever. You can love your children regardless of your financial status, or racial ethnicity. You must obviously not have children, because you miss the point completely.
paisleypeach44 1 year ago
As the FATHER of a one and a half year old, I want to say thanks too. This inspires me to work harder at being lazy with our little boy, of wasting time with him in the best sense of the word. Life is short and we should indeed celebrate the sacrament of the present moment! "To see the miraculous within the ordinary is the mark of highest wisdom." - Ralph W. Emerson
MissionMoment 1 year ago
As the video went on I feared that she was talking of a loved one she lost to death. However, it showed that she was not remembering a loved one or ones due to death, but to life and growing up. As I saw this transition, I began to cry realizing that this is something I will be and am going through with my three girls. All I can say is WOW and thank you for expressing how every mother feels about their children.
Taztlb79 1 year ago 2
This really touched my heart. I reminds me of what I have & what I will miss. Thank you. I will cherish every moment.
paisleypeach44 1 year ago
i don't even have the words to express how this made me feel, and that is unusual for me! raised three boysand a girl; they grew up oh-so suddenly and i remain so vigilant; loving, sad, proud, anticipating. thank you.
dsloveswva 1 year ago
This was awesome...boy did you hit the nail on the head. I too am going through this now with my 13 year old.
TheJMNM 1 year ago
'you wonder where you went wrong' it's not the mothers that did anything wrong, it's american culture, media, and society ruining kids!! trust me, i'm one of them.
elizabethdivine 1 year ago
Wow... and I am going through this now. Hurts.
Frankie754 1 year ago
Just wait til the grandchildren are born and it starts all over again with more love than you can imagine.
babyrn57 1 year ago
How perceptive....thank you. Xx
CatDogCharlie 1 year ago
Beautiful message! The music in the background was well done, too. This video reminds me of the song, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" by Darius Rucker. Thank you for reminding us to appreciate each moment!
TheRose31 1 year ago
this video brought me into tears.....thanks..=)
joyceeFuentes 1 year ago
Thank you for a wonderful reminder about the important things in life. It arrived just as my husband and I were pulling our hair out to try and keep the kids busy during school break.
brianbrocoff 1 year ago
thank you for sharing this video, it is truly beautiful.
paulhao100 1 year ago
I cried....
valeriemitsuishi 1 year ago
This was GREAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!
LincTexPilot 1 year ago
thank you, this is beautiful and oh so true.
nesvaderani 1 year ago
Don't forget that the ordinary day's have not ended..there are lots more..with your grown children, your mate, and if your lucky...grandchildren..your message is to truly live in the moment, thats all we truly have, thanks for reminding us so beautifuly.
MrsCoffeeMan 1 year ago 2
you have expressed if fully, thank you for your comments. i am just begining this path with my little ones.
nesvaderani 1 year ago
Thank you for this. I am a mom of 3 kids under 5 and I need to watch this periodically!!! I posted it to my blog for easy review. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reminding me that I love my job. Being a mom is the best!
ktksu 1 year ago
i dont usually cry but this made me cry
joehommo 1 year ago
this was so spot on - i loved it!
jodijallen 1 year ago
That was beautiful! Makes me cherish my daughter so much more for who she is now, and who she will become later. It's so easy to take all the little things for granted, to be angry when you rise in the middle of the night to change a diaper, to rush around when you are running late and trying to get your child ready--when we should be grateful we have a child to care for in the first place. May this video remind me of all the ordinary moments, and cherish them forever. --LW
kcmoon2001 1 year ago
this is so beautiful for words... im crying
cherryblueeskies 1 year ago 2
I started tearing up the moment this started and then broke into sobs half way through. Wonderful, just wonderful !!
RockynRobyn05 1 year ago 5
@RockynRobyn05
Oh my gosh. Same here! And I am a "tough guy" daddy. Whew.
peaceloveandwhatever 1 year ago
Beautiful!
Clemson1964 1 year ago 3
I absolutely loved it.
mstar0312 1 year ago
wiping tears!
JuniperSage1 1 year ago
Wonderful! Tears rolling down my cheeks. A friend sent this to me and it speaks so well of an experience so many women - and men - share when the kids grow up. Thanks for this. It struck a perfect note.
lenleatherwood 1 year ago
Tear, gulp, tear... What a beautiful expression. I too want all of those days back. My 13 & soon to be 11 year old grew when I was watching but I still don't remember seeing it. Thank you for the reminder.
urashopper 1 year ago
This is quite a beautiful video. I never took my children's youth for granted. I chose to be a great mom. The parent calls the shots and decides what time breakfast, lunch and dinner will occur. Moms can control their children wearing helmets, what television programs they watch, etc. When the children grow up, they make their own decisions (some which mom does not agree with and knows is not "safe"), but it is then that you understand you are no longer in control.
guitarstrummin56 1 year ago 2
Absolutely wonderful on right on. I cherish every moment of those ordinary days as I now have fast forward, living alone and seeing all around me those special moments that weren't so ordinary after all. All three of my kids struggled during the high school years and beyond so this hit home more than you can ever imagine. Thanks you so much for sharing a beautifully written piece which let me shed a few tears. Reid Wettersten
reidwettersten 1 year ago
I have 3 boys under the age of 4 and this was really one of the nices things ive seen. i love it :)
ELLEJOON 1 year ago 2
Oh but a vapor! And yes, every day has been a treasure that I have withheld, and each grow more precious than the day before. I can't get enough and I am losing my grip. Thank you for sharing heart to heart, that which we know all too well, letting go, bit by bit.
mhbush711 1 year ago
mhbush's (mom) posted this comment!
mhbush711 1 year ago
Thank you for expressing exactly how I feel. I could never have put it into such beautiful words.
Colliningeneral 1 year ago
As I type with my eyes all blurry from tears, I think to my own daughter who is in the process of deciding which college to attend. I can't imagine the house without her smiling face, but encourage her to move on knowing that come September I'll be lost without her. Thank you for giving me the courage to face this chapter and enjoy every day as it comes.
PeaceOfSound 1 year ago
I have three boys of my own and I try to enjoy each of our days. My three year old was hanging on my lap and crying as I was watching your touching video and I tried to even cherish that! Thank you for sharing your beautiful words!
jenradley 1 year ago
Thank you for sharing this with all of us!
viviglori 1 year ago 2
This was great. I would love to show it to my Women's Ministry group. How do I get a copy?
hjcantrell 1 year ago
very touching, brought tears to my eyes, so true, so true, days come and go so fast, that we take advantage not to realize and enjoy each and every moment of our children growing up the way we should
omgstarbucks 1 year ago
Katrina . . .ironic that I was just "surfing" the net for colleges to visit for my oldest son who is a sophomore in high school. His brother is a freshman. Your pictures are so like the pictures of my own two boys. Your sentiments so much of what I feel and know. Right now the bedroom doors are open and I cherish each moment my sons pop their heads out to ask if I will make them food or to ask me, "Mom, what should I do? " Time flies so cherish each and every moment.
DavidVeillette 1 year ago
You are truly amazing. I have two boys of my own 5 and 7. Thank you for posting. My friend sent it to me and I am so glad that she did. I am going to send to my friends and family.
stashcorkrin 1 year ago
Very well described...when my mother used to tell me "enjoy your kids" I wanted them to grow..but now i am a grandmother and i wish i enjoyed them more.!!! ..Young, we thought that they would never grow, but the truth, time goes fast and they grow up so fast...I tell all the young parents, to enjoy their children, and have fun while youre educating them...they re guests while it lasts.. and will leave soon enough.....
beautiful...my thoughts exactly
fernande0 1 year ago
I have an 8 month old and everything you said about them growing made me cry. I was just looking at his pictures when he was born and just cried to myself because it is going by so fast! Thatnk you Katrina. This made me feel a little bit better, but I am still teriffied of him growing up. :( wish he would stay small forever. Again Thank you.
101trina 1 year ago
As a relatively new mother of a 17 month old baby girl I found this to be one of the most beautiful things I have read about motherhood. Becoming a mother as changed so many things in me and this really brings it home. Thank you Katrina for your beautiful words. As parents we are the luckiest people in the world to have this experience and the strongest to be able to survive it.
rhiannonfan 1 year ago
So beautiful. Thank you.
TBrockton 1 year ago
This is great!! It's like reliving my past. Loved it. And it's totally true!!
bewitchedsam1 1 year ago
This was the most amazing thing I have ever heard! It is so true. We are here to raise our kids the best that we can do, and they grow up so quickly. Before we know it they are in college. What Katrina said, had me in tears. I have four children, ages 13-20, and it was just yesterday that they were born, and now they are in college. Love them with all of your heart and give them as much encouragement to do and be the best person that they can be.
rsdsrnmom 1 year ago
Thanks Katrina for such true and honest words. As a mother of three adult "children" and four grandchildren I can tell you that it never ends - the joy, the intense love and also the worry. I hope that your children who have grown will return with their children to give you more amazing moments and love. Our children, whether they are one or 41, always remain the centre of our lives and hearts.
yadtab 1 year ago
Very Nice!!!!
tanyettatv 1 year ago
While I am not a Mom, I am one extremely involved Dad. I have a little girl, age 10 (almost 11), who is in the pre-teen mode. This was such an awesome portrayal of what we as parents go through with our children and have the honor to enjoy! This is a great reminder to drink each second of every day as though it is the last sip of coffee you will ever have! Thank you so much for sharing!
jihuc 1 year ago
Comment removed
jihuc 1 year ago
wow its so nice and true and so close to heart of all the mothers of the world
jewas89 1 year ago
That was absolutely beautiful and said so well!!
javamonkeyonmyback 1 year ago
I've got a girl in her third year of university and one that will be gone in September...this rang so true...my heart resonates.
musicmommary 1 year ago
Thanks Katrina, from a 46 yr old mom of a 15 month old, at the beginning of the painful joy. :-)
windyday82 1 year ago
Thank you, Katrina !
ongisweet 2 years ago
What an amazing tribute to living in the moment. Thank you!
davidvlong 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
tedious.
lipchunkgirl 2 years ago
Beautiful :)
crazikals13 2 years ago 2
Well done.
crosshillchris 2 years ago 2
great reminder that our lives are like a vapor.
littlebrownowl 2 years ago
Kids call your mom! lol! No seriously it was beautiful but she is a lucky woman who should be rejoicing while reading this. I lost my 2 kids in a divorce because my ex threatened me if they didn't reside with him. Well once they became teens they realized their father was a jerk. So my daughter lives with me but my son wanted to finish school so stayed on with dad although it's been difficult. I am close with my kids but still, having missed all those "ordinary days" is very sad for all of us.
moonsister411 2 years ago