The day started out pretty normal as I poured my 4th cup of coffee and broke up a fight over a tampon.
What? Your toddler doesn’t like to raid your personal Mommy drawer and take apart feminine products? I call this birth control. Be thankful I need these this month. Moving on.
My kids have been bored out of their minds from being with Mommy non stop. I cannot state how I feel about this situation, as they will read these when they are older, but I can say that yes Mommy needs a little down time. And a lot more Merlot.
I tried to get crafty today .
I am not crafty.
Yes I am.
I got out the glue and all that other crap that creative parents use to do Pinterest activities with their children. I drank more coffee and fought the urge to add Baileys as glitter began getting in my toddlers eyes and hair. Being a very Charismatic family, my oldest says while looking at his sister:
“Mom look at Adah! Did you just pray for her? She has gold dust on her face!”
No son, that’s all her. Jesus is just standing back laughing at me as I try to organize how to place the googly eyes on your Popsicle stick from 1983 that I found in the basement of this house. We continued to make a mess and try out the glue sticks I bought on Clearance at Target. Clearance. They were on Clearance because they are evil and no longer fulfill their purpose. Kind of like condoms. Welcome to the world, middle child. We are thrilled you are here, also shell shocked.
The glitter got as far as the living room and I had to just relax. I’ve learned to tell myself their ages more often. Rachel, they aren’t 20 …they are 6 . 3 and 1. I need to be more patient than I already am.
Do you ever feel like your patience isn’t enough? That you have to throw your hands up in the air, wave the white flag and give into the mess?
Yes me too.
I’m also learning to stick with what I know , and only sometimes venture out into the newness with my kids. I’m in survival mode, and that requires strength and lots of caffeine. I can’t promise that caffeine is always hot, but it’s there pulsing my veins to keep going.
As soon as Adah started to eat, and eventually choke on the google eyes, we put everything away. All the glue, the horrific paint and did I mention we put the glue away? After Adah made a lunch out of it.
I decided the pool would be easier, then laughed at myself as I loaded the snacks up to go. 57 hours later we were ready for the pool. On the way there I got to do an ” activity” with my son that is ” my thing”.
I’ve noticed that when I turn the music down, and allow my children to talk to me while driving I wreck. No. but really they open up. A tremendous amount, so much so that today Asher shared with me something new.
” Momma! I just saw in my head a boy that was riding his bike in the woods. But then he got lost, and started crying. He can’t find his family, and he is little like me.”
This is the first time Asher has expressed to me anything of this nature. He is sensitive to peoples feelings, and a protector for sure, but this was new.
I explained to him that it sounded like he was having what was called a vision. That Jesus showed him to pray for this little boy. So that we did. Asher lead us in prayer as we trusted that the boy would be found.
Whether this was a true vision or an imagination of a child, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I showed my son that I take his thoughts and opinions seriously. I value him as a person, not just a child. The same holy spirit lives in him that lives in me.
There are certain types of activities that we are great at with our kids. There are some not so great ones, or ones that we don’t enjoy doing. I’m not saying lets only stick to what we are comfortable with, but I am saying there is a reason we are comfortable. Because that is how he has equipped us. So instead of stressing to be like your friend Jane, be you.
God gave us our specific children to raise. Not because he saw you fit to change your whole personality, gifts and talents when you bore them. No.
He gave them to us specifically to love, to teach and to grow with. So don’t stress to be something you are not. Be the Mom you were born to be, theirs. And leave the rest to the future you. The more seasoned you, you’ll get there. Just not yet.
