The demands of motherhood sometimes far outweigh our capabilities.
Mum's are all but putting themselves in two places at the one time, and have to-do lists the length of The Nile.
And sometimes the pressure of having everything run according to plan can be a bug bearer with our children.
Cassie Hilt, is a mum-of-three, a wife and writer, therefore taking on pretty lengthy lists.
So when her daughter asked could she paint Mum's nails, Cassie's obvious answer was no, because she hadn't time, let alone having to allow the paint dry.
But it was the look on her five-year-old's face that had Cassie feeling guilty, along with her daughter's line: "OK, because you don't have time for me to paint yours too?"
Her little girl instinctively knew that Mum's mind was focused on all the things she needed to do that day, as Cassie thought:
"What if she painted them and the baby woke up? I wouldn't be able to grab him with wet nails. What if my laundry buzzed and I had to switch loads? Can't do that with wet nails, [...]."
"You can't do any of those things with wet nails. Right?"
Nonetheless when Cassie saw her little tot's face fall, she changed her mind, telling her daughter that she could paint her nails, and what Mum learned was worth every second.
"That little face of hers lit up, and she got right to work painting them. And do you know what happened? The baby didn't wake up from his nap."
"The laundry sat in the dryer. My hair dried on its own. The bills, the calendar, and the dishes - it was all waiting for me when she was done."
Because it only took ten minutes out of Mum's day, but as Cassie concludes: "It was the highlight of hers."
Cassie reminds us that we are often quick to say 'no' to our kids, sometimes for things that we feel just aren't 'important enough', however these are things that are important to our children.
Painting Mum's nails is a pretty huge deal to a toddler, and it only takes ten minutes: "So often these things that aren't important enough to us, are a big deal in the eyes of a child."
"And if we show them now that we value their time, as much as we value our to-do lists, they just might keep coming back to us, for all the important things."
This will make you re-evaluate painting your nails... and all the other little things your child wants you to do.
