mommy sit

“Mommy sit!” has been my daughter's mantra since she could talk. Sometimes it comes in the form of a question, but usually it is phrased as a demand. “Mommy sit!” She begs me to sit on the floor and play. We have discovered the pleasures of choo-choo trains, little people, balls, dolls & cars.

When she said it the first few times, I didn’t think much of it. I just thought, “That’s cute. She wants me to play with her.” But the more she said it (and she says it many times every day), the more I began to reflect on the significance of “Mommy sit!” I’ve found that she’s not so interested in the sitting, as she is in the time spent without distraction.

As a type A, German, energetic woman with lots of things I’d like to do in any given day, let’s just say that “Mommy sit!” isn’t exactly my forte in life. If it isn’t on a list that I can check off (to demonstrate just how much I’ve done in a day) it probably doesn’t come natural to me. I’m motivated by action and accomplishment, by progress & growth.

But her insistence intrigued me. I began to see “Mommy sit” as a spiritual journey. For my daughter, “Mommy sit!” is the gift of my uninterrupted attention. “Mommy sit” means I’m not doing laundry or dishes. I’m not checking email. I’m not on the phone with another friend. I’m simply on the floor – eyeball to eyeball. Connected.

When I’m doing “Mommy sit!” I’m living in the moment with her. As I’ve begun to sit down more & “do” less, I’ve noticed a shift. I’ve noticed that I’ve tuned into her, but I've also tuned into my own life. I’ve found that I’m able to recognize my own emotions in any given moment. Instead of being focused on the past (frustrations of the day) or the future (what remains undone), I’m able to slip into the “NOW.”

It is also the realization that God is waiting for me. He’s waiting for me to say, “Daddy sit!” He’s got time. But do I? God is sitting on the park bench of my soul – waiting for me to sit down with him – to be still long enough to make a connection.

When I take time to sit & think, or to steal a few moments to read, or even just take a nap & rest, I find that God speaks to me. When I’m racing around, trying to find a “deal” at a local store, or finish one last project, I find that my mind is completely occupied. It’s occupied with a sort of drive. But when I’m able to slow my mind a bit, I find that space opens up for God to “sit” with me in my soul.

So each day when my daughter says, “Mommy sit,” I am reminded of just how willing God is to sit with me & look me in the soul, and spend uninterrupted time together. My prayer for myself is that I will learn to sit – with my daughter, with God, and in my own soul.