This Mom's Post Proves Kids Don't Need to Spend Money to Have the "Best Day Ever"

Updated on Nov 28, 2017 at 10:40 AM

Just moments before blogger Nikki Pennington snapped the above photo of her husband and three children, her oldest son uttered seven little words that warmed her heart to its core: "Mom, this is the best day ever." Looking back on the day's activities, a confused Nikki was a bit unsure why her son said that, as she couldn't think of "anything extra special" about the day. "We didn't buy them any toys, we didn't go on a lavish play date to a fancy park," Nikki wrote in a post shared on The People We Raise's Facebook page. Later that night, when she asked her son what prompted him to call it the "best day ever," he answered with the following adorable response.

"It was when we went on a yard sale hunt. It was when we held hands with Dad in the parking lot. It was when you let me pick out the color of paint for our room. It was when you turned the music up really loud, rolled down the windows and we sang at the top of our lungs. It was when you held my hand in the store and we snuck off just me and you to go look at the pretty lights. It was the best day of my life."

After hearing her 7-year-old's wise words, Nikki had a realization: that sometimes, all moms need to take a step back and remember what really matters to kids when they're young. "We get so caught up in Pinterest projects and electronics with them as moms and dads that we forget to just dial it down and really be in the little every moments," she told POPSUGAR. Sometimes the "best day ever" doesn't involve amusement parks or toys, she continued in her post. "It looks a lot like holding hands; it looks a lot like letting them see a glimpse of us, the us before we became mom and dad. It looks a lot like our time in the ordinary everyday things because that's where the best days ever are found."

Well, isn't that reassuring! File this one under things to read when you're feeling pressure to plan a weekend full of kid-friendly activities.