banana splitNeed a reason to stop being the stressed out mom who can't stop running around like a neurotic nelly? How about to honor a baby who is dying? Born with Down syndrome and a heart defect, 21-month-old Ryan Roberts isn't expected to reach his toddler years. And all his mom wants the other moms (and dads) of the world to do for her today is skip dinner tonight and throw a banana split ice cream party with their own kids.

Just reading her simple request filled me with mommy guilt. I am always saying I want to do "Mommy and Me" time with my daughter. But saying it and doing it are two different things.

I know I don't do simple stuff like that often enough. And really, Ryan's mom Diane is right on with her plan to spread Ryan's Banana Split Party around the world:

I said, just go create a memory with your kids. Just go put a banana split down in front of your kids for dinner and watch their faces light up. No chicken, rice, and broccoli tonight, just ice cream. They're going to remember that forever.

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She's right, isn't she? Being a good mom is not in the stuff we buy. It's not in the trips we take. It's in the stuff that moms whose babies don't make it would give their left arm for.

It's kicking a soccer ball around the backyard instead of doing laundry. It's letting them eat ice cream instead of broccoli ... just this once. It's that extra story at bedtime instead of heading back to the TV.

If a mom can live knowing that her baby boy is going to die and still have the strength to inspire other parents, trust me, you can put all your worries and stress aside for an hour tonight. Skip dinner. Throw an ice cream party. You'll be smiling about it for weeks.

When is the last time you threw caution to the wind and just enjoyed time with your kids? What did you do? Will you honor Ryan with ice cream tonight?

 

Image via Edward Allen L. Lim/Flickr