“Are You Taking the Day?”
What snow days, banked time, and kids leaning on your shoulder teach us about what really matters
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.”
— Psalm 127:3 (CSB)“Let the little children come to me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
— Luke 18:16 (CSB)
I’m blessed to have a job that gives me a choice on snow days.
I can take the day and be fully present, or I can work and bank it for a warmer, sunnier day down the road.
But anytime snow is in the forecast, there’s one question my kids always ask:
“Are you taking the day?”
And my answer usually depends on one very serious factor.
“Can we build a snowman?”
If the answer is yes, then I’m taking the day. No hesitation. We take snowman building seriously in our house.
If the answer is no, then we talk it through.
“Do you want Daddy for a cold day inside, or do you want Daddy to save a day for later when it’s warmer?”
That conversation alone tells me everything I need to know about how fleeting this season is.
I remember growing up and my brothers and I just going outside and playing. As our family has grown—four kids now, ages 8, 11, 12, and 17—I know my snow days are numbered. Every time we’re all working together to build a snowman or I see them attempting to turn a pile of snow into an igloo, I know I’m standing in a moment I’ll miss someday.
Inside, it looks a little different now too.
The two youngest disappear into the bonus room to build forts. This time it was an entire city called Tentessee—houses, stores, restaurants, the works.
The older two want games. Not kid games. Real games. Games where they can finally hang with Mama and Daddy without feeling like they’re slumming it.
Karen makes soup, because of course she does, and we play Outsmarted and Sequence until things get very competitive. And honestly, I love that part. I love that they still want our attention.
We’ve been home together for over a week now, and it’s been really good. I’ll admit, though, these kids need to stretch their legs. The ice has kept us in, partly because I don’t want them falling…and partly because I fell myself this morning. My leg hurts a little, but not nearly as much as my ego.
Thank goodness the Ring camera caught it all in its full glory. (You are not getting that video unless you pay for it, lol.)
What really gets me, though, are the conversations.
My youngest wants all my attention. The older ones need less of it, and that’s not a bad thing. They’re stepping closer to whatever comes next. They don’t need Mama and Daddy for everything anymore.
But I’m not sad about it.
I turn 49 this year, and I still need my Mama sometimes.
Needs change. Love doesn’t.
I don’t live in the past wishing I’d done more, and I don’t live in the future grieving what hasn’t happened yet. I try to live right here…in gratitude. Karen and I work well together, and I thank God often for that. This family is a gift, and I want to steward it well.
Work matters. My kids know that. They understand responsibility. They know Daddy works so we can have what we need.
But when I clock out, the day is over.
I’ve seen parents bring bad days home, and that weight lands on kids whether we mean it to or not. My kids only get me for a little while. I don’t want that time filled with frustration and leftovers from work.
Snow days help me unplug and plug back into my kids.
Time is precious. When one of my kids sits next to me on the couch, I pull them close. Almost every time, they lean in further. Just today, I had one kid on my left shoulder and another stretched across my lap on the right.
I could make a million dollars and still raise kids who feel poor.
So I’m trying to teach them the value of time, not things.
That’s part of why we started a birthday tradition this year.
My brother-in-law has always taken his daughters out for a day on their birthdays. I loved that idea, so I asked my kids if they wanted to try it.
I started with my youngest daughter. I pulled her out of school, and we had a full daddy-daughter day. She picked where we ate. She picked what we did. We went to the mall. We went to the library. I was just her escort while she window-shopped and checked out her favorite authors.
When I told her I was taking a day off work just for her, she lit up.
“You’re taking off work for me?”
That sentence says everything.
Later, I asked her what the day meant to her.
She said, “It made me feel good and seen. You took some of your time and spent it on me, and that made me feel special. It was better than a present because I got to do my favorite things.”
That’ll preach.
A Faithful Use of Time
The Bible tells us children are a gift from the Lord. Gifts aren’t something we manage later when life slows down. They’re something we receive with gratitude and care right now.
I think time works the same way.
God gives it to us, and we decide how to spend it. In that sense, time is like currency. And I don’t want to waste my “time money” on things that won’t matter when the snow melts.
Jesus never treated children as interruptions. He stopped. He noticed. He made room.
I want my kids to know how important they are—not just by what I say, but by how I spend my days.
Gratitude keeps me present. Urgency makes me miss details. I’d rather worship God by loving my family well than rush past the moments He’s already put in front of me.
I’m not trying to step on toes, but if we keep saying we’ll make time later, we’ll just keep saying it—until later runs out.
As I write this, my youngest son is leaning hard against my arm, making it difficult to type. I could ask him to move. Instead, I’m letting him stay right where he is. The couch is empty except for me and him. He could sit anywhere on this L-shaped couch, but he chose right here…next to me.
Future me will be grateful for that.
I once saw massive tapestries hanging on a wall in Ireland. So large it told several stories at once. That’s how I think about family. Our tapestry is already big, and it keeps growing.
What does yours look like right now?
If it feels a little empty, that’s okay. You can start today. It doesn’t have to be a birthday. It can be a Thursday or a Tuesday. Get up early on Saturday and grab breakfast. Put it on the calendar right now. Be intentional.
God has entrusted us with these families. Steward them well.
Snow melts. Kids grow. Time moves.
But the memories we make together—those hold.
Thank you for sharing! My kids are toddlers and with our recent snow days I confess I didn’t have this attitude, and part of that was because I knew that if I devoted my time to my kids fully then it would only cause more problems at my work. I admit I chose poorly trying to appease someone unappeasable and missed out on more magical moments with my kids. Thank you for sharing this because it encourages me to do better next time.
So much truth! It’s lovely how it brought me back to many snow days spent playing cards, games or doing puzzles are our dining room table. Thank you.