Sharon Murphy Yates is a busy mom. She works at Cumberland County Mental Health, is married and has a 15-year-old son named James.
Yates said that she remembered one night when James was younger. She had things to do around the house and rushed him to bed. Then she took a step back.
"I stopped that night and thought, 'This child is more important to me than anything in the world. Here I am rushing through these moments,'" she said.
Where did the time go? How did I lose track of those moments, I've lost that. I'll never get back.
Those are the words Yates writes in her new children's book, "The Busy Mom." The book was recently published by Child and Family Press.
"This book is an opportunity for parents to sit down with their child and say 'You are special. You are important and I love you,'" she said.
The book explains to children that despite a family's hectic life, they are the priority. It is something Yates believes children need to hear. Like the words written on page 16:
Sometimes I get busy and I don't always say how much I love you.
"Working in the mental health field for 22 years, I've seen what a difference that can make in a child's life and what can happen if that's not there," Yates said.
So, how do busy parents find the time? Yates suggests setting priorities. She said that an extra load of laundry can wait.
Yates' book is
available online
.
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