# 0009: Underfoot

Some days it seems like kids do this best; they are underfoot, clingy, attached, in your bubble and you are trying to think of anything that sounds nicer than, "Get out of my way!" You think, "Geeze, if I could just move a few feet without herding little bodies in front of my and dodging little feet and legs!" They are underfoot.

Why do I love this when I just shared my complaining thoughts about children being underfoot? Well, I love it because they are HERE, they are THERE, they are WHERE I AM and I am right there WHERE THEY ARE.
They are watching me work. They are there to watch and learn. They are taking it all in; everything I do. They are watching me be patient with their siblings... or not... they are watching me use the keyboard on the computer. They are watching me design. They are watching me mop. They are watching me push buttons on the dishwasher. They are listening to me talk on the phone. They are watching me pull the trash bin back to the house. They are watching me vacuum out the car (that has happened... this one time...). They are watching me paint. They are watching me fix dinner.

I love them being underfoot because it means they are being apart of my world. At this age, especially, they want to be apart of my world and I certainly want them to want that. I want them to know me. I want them to know that I want them around. They are learning from me and we are doing things together as a family. Some of the things are mundane or may seem mundane to you, but it's not to a small child. I have recently learned that my nearly two year old loves to help with the laundry. I hear his little feet slapping the tile floor on his way to the laundry room to throw the dirty clothes in and earn his reward of pushing the buttons and watching it start spinning.
Of course, It's always easier to get things done when they're not underfoot. Things go faster and smoother, but if they're not up in your grill how else will they learn? How else will they learn about the adult world when they are constantly shoved out of the way? I realize some things are dangerous, some things just need to get done faster and sometimes you think they'd have more fun someplace else. However, that last one is NEVER true! We really, truly have no idea how much our kids want nothing more than to be around their mom and dad. I always think of this quote from THE 10 HABITS OF HAPPY MOTHERS by Dr. Meg Meeker, "If every mother in the United States could wrap her mind around her true value as a woman and mother, her life would never be the same. We would wake up every morning excited for the day rather than feeling as though we'd been hit by a truck during the night. We would talk differently to our kids, fret less about our husbands' annoying habits, and speak with greater tenderness and clarity. We would find more contentment in our relationships, let mean remarks roll off our backs, and leave work feeling confident in the job we performed. And best of all--we wouldn't obsess about our weight (can you imagine?), physical fitness, or what kind of home we live in. We would live a life free from superficial needs because we would know deep in our hearts what we need and, more importantly, what we don't need. Each of us would live a life of extraordinary freedom."

Mostly what I get from that quote is that we as parents have no idea how much we as moms and dads mean to our kids, how much our kids think of us and love us... even at our worst... there is something humbling right there.
So, I love my kids being underfoot, being there, being with me (who they want to be with), and learning a little about the adult world while they're little and (not to be redundant but,) with me; together; being a family.





Here are some links about kids in the kitchen: Teaching Your Child to Cook and A Child's Place is in the Kitchen

Why do I feel like Chris Farely in that Herlihy Boy House Sitting skit he did with Adam Sandler on Saturday Night Live? "Please!!! Let the kids watch you water your plants!!! Please!!! Whay wont you just let them watch you cook dinner??!!"