Cherishing Every Moment
Anastasia Shuraeva / Contributor
Usually, it's right when your toddler is screaming in the grocery store or you’re covered in spit-up, with reheated coffee in hand. It’s a phrase meant to comfort, but it can feel more like a quiet guilt trip. Like you're supposed to love every second, even the ones that feel impossibly hard.
The Pressure Behind the Phrase
For a lot of moms, “cherish every moment” feels like a setup. You hear it while scrolling through perfectly lit family photos or during a well-meaning conversation with someone whose baby years are long behind them. Suddenly, the ordinary mess of your day feels like something you're supposed to be enjoying more. And when you're not, the guilt creeps in.
What about the moments that feel anything but cherishable? The diaper blowouts at 2 a.m. The overstimulation from constant noise. The days when you’re counting down the hours until bedtime.
Those moments exist too, and pretending they’re magical doesn’t make us better mothers. It just makes us feel like we’re failing.
What It Can Mean Instead
Maybe it’s time to redefine what “cherishing every moment” actually looks like. It doesn’t have to mean you’re smiling through tantrums or grateful for every spilled cup of milk. It doesn’t mean you need to document every milestone or squeeze joy out of exhaustion. Sometimes cherishing a moment just means noticing it.
It means slowing down enough to hear your child’s belly laugh.
It means locking eyes with your baby during a feeding instead of looking at the dishes in the sink.
It means holding space for the hard without rushing past it.
It’s not about loving every minute. It’s about being present for the minutes that matter and allowing the rest to be what they are.
Micro-Moments Worth Noticing
The big milestones are easy to spot. First steps. First words. The first day of school. But the real magic often hides in the tiny, ordinary moments we barely notice until they’ve already passed. These are the ones worth pausing for:
The way your toddler plays with your hair while falling asleep
A sleepy “love you” whispered from the car seat
The mismatched outfit they proudly picked out themselves
Crumbs all over the counter from “helping” make breakfast
The sound of tiny feet running down the hall in the morning
The giggle that escapes when they think nobody's watching
Little hands reaching for yours, even for just a second
These are not Instagram moments. They’re heart moments. And they don’t last forever. You don’t need to capture every one. You just need to be there for some of them.
A Reminder for the Hard Days
Let’s be honest. Some days don’t feel special. They feel endless. You’re stretched thin, your patience is low, and the only thing you’re “cherishing” is the moment your kids finally go to bed. That doesn’t make you a bad mom. It makes you human. Not every moment is meant to be savored. Some are meant to be survived.
But even in the hard ones, there’s something sacred about your presence. Your child won’t remember every detail of the day, but they’ll remember that you were there. They’ll remember the safety of your arms, the sound of your voice, and the comfort of knowing they were loved. You don’t have to find joy in every second to live a joy-filled life. Just keep showing up.
Redefining the Phrase
Maybe “cherish every moment” was never meant to be a command. Maybe it’s more of a gentle reminder. Not to treasure every second, but to be present for the moments that matter most. It’s not about loving the mess or feeling grateful for every challenge. It’s about choosing to pause. To notice. To be there—in all your real, tired, beautifully imperfect self. Because the truth is, you’re already cherishing more than you realize. In the way you listen. The way you tuck them in. The way you keep going, even on the hard days. And that, mama, is more than enough.
