A couple of days ago, I had my niece fall asleep in my room after a long day of playing with her toys, her cousins, and my older sister. Before then, I had stepped out to visit a friend I missed dearly, and I promised her I would get back on time.
Unfortunately, I extended my time at my friend's place because I was enjoying our moment together, and eventually, I got stuck in traffic, which made me sad as I began to miss my friend all over again.
Immediately I got home, my niece saw me and ran joyfully towards me to give me a big hug, and I think that’s one of my favorite things about having a little child in your home. You always get those big hugs, kisses, and pats on the back when you’re not feeling well. But it’s not surprising that she had to ask probing questions about why I got in late. I did do her the honors of explaining before serving her a meal I’d gotten on my way back.
I watched her eat with glee, and after taking a little rest, she was off sleeping on the couch near my bed. While I tidied my room, I watched how peacefully she slept, and I realized that this is someone who resists sleeping during the day because it takes her little to zero time to fall asleep.
I can recall a time I’d told her I couldn’t sleep, and she asked why. I said it was difficult, and she laughed so hard. The next thing she did was lie on the bed beside me and close her eyes for about 10 minutes. After a while, she spread out her hands and said, “SEE? EASY PEASY!”
I laughed so hard because it sounded so funny. I began to think about the fact that kids believe everything is easy. Cooking is easy, doing everyone's dish is easy, making money is easy, sleeping is easy, buying stuff is easy, and whatnot, until they grow up and realize how much of a challenge these things could be, depending on the situation.
I wasn’t going to be the aunt who gives unnecessary sermons to kids, so I didn’t bother engaging her like I love to do with kids sometimes. That's for the plot, hehe.
Thinking about it now, I believe kids should be allowed to enjoy their unserious thoughts now that they’ve got time to. They won’t have that forever. I mean, they’ll grow up to understand these things, won’t they? Hell, yeah. That’s about that.
Anyway, I did have a great night because she kept me company before falling asleep, and I didn’t sulk anymore over missing my friend. I have no idea if there's a lesson in this post, but I do hope that we remember to cherish the moments with the kids we're fortunate to have in our corners.