Running around with his usual abundance of energy, my 2 and a half year old, at the time, stopped to ask, 'Mummy are you happy?' Hmmm... I thought, interesting question. I wondered what might have triggered him to ask.
I knew he was a super sensitive child who had always noticed the feelings of others, so I questioned whether he had sensed there was a slight adjustment to my mood at that moment.
To be fair, I was finding his energy levels a struggle, feeling slightly tired after work. Although I did not want him to know, so my response was, 'Yes baby, I am happy.'
The thought of him asking endeared my heart. He is such a sensitive child and I love this about his nature.
This would be the first of him asking this question many times over. My son would go on to ask me every day from that moment for many months to come, ‘Mummy are you happy?’
As I fast-forward and reflect on this question, I realise the significance of asking myself, ‘Mummy, are you happy?’ It is a question, which requires me to take my eyes of the busyness from being a working mum, be present and look at the condition of my heart.
What am I feeling right now? Am I happy? What is making me feel happy or sad in this very moment?
As our son transitioned this week into preschool, my husband and I began to observe some of the fruits of our daily nurturing of our son’s confidence. We had a quiet reassurance that he would love the environment, being born extremely sociable, he always thrives being around his peers and meeting new people.
However, day one, the wait was on... Would we receive a phone call to pick him up early or would he manage the entire day without our assistance? You can guess what happened... He did not need mummy or daddy to pick him up early, neither did he want to leave the environment; he had such an amazing experience.
When I asked my son, did you miss mummy, his response was a categorical, ‘NO’. This made me chuckle but also I felt a sense of unpreparedness for his acceleration. We had prepared him for independence but it came a lot sooner than we had expected. Our son has been thriving, I mean, his happiness and levels of joy have increased exponentially.
Observing such joy and happiness as our son recounted the stories of his experience, I asked him, ‘Son, why are you so happy?’ He pointed to me first, then his daddy. I, in turn said, ‘Son, do you know what makes me so happy?’ I pointed to him. ‘I said, son it’s YOU.’
For me as my son’s joy has scaled, so has ours. The experience of being a working mum, who works full-time and pours out daily into my family, the stresses can at times seem insurmountable, but I remembered today, as my son pointed his finger towards me in response to my question, that my joy comes from seeing his development.
What makes you happy?
I hope you too find satisfaction and happiness in nurturing your children. They are able to bring us so much joy in the most unexpected moments and you find, as you pour into them, they will pour right back into you. Today was a source of encouragement.
Enjoy your special moments together and develop them to be people who love others.
With Love,
Sonia Omojola
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