My sweet two year old daughter has reached the delightful age where she echoes everything I say. I found this delightfully endearing until one day she started saying “Just a second” all day long.

I realized she had picked up this little phrase from me. You see, I’m a Type A personality. I wake up each morning with an unachievable to-do list. And as anyone who has lived through the toddler stage can attest, it’s pretty hard to accomplish tasks with a two year old running around.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told my daughter, “Just a second,” as she sweetly hands me a book, asking me to read to her, just as I’m attempting to accomplish one of the 5000 things on my to-do list.

It’s frustrating to me that during this stage where my daughter wants nothing more than to invite me into her world, at times, the things I need to accomplish reign.

This year, I’m taking a step back and shortening my to-do list. I’m allowing myself grace for only having just a few simple tasks to complete each day, and I’m reserving a very large chunk of time for my daughter.

Because next time she wants me to read a book or push her on the swing, instead of feeling annoyed because I’m right in the middle of something, I want to feel free to stop what I’m doing and spend time with her.

Chores and tasks can wait. My daughter will not, because each day she wakes up older and a little less dependent on me.