Monday, November 28, 2011

More than Happy

Sometimes mornings can be rough.  And usually Monday morning is no exception.  But today... all went well.  I always thought it was lack of time in the morning that caused the majority of the problems but today I realized it is not lack of time that makes for a rough start to the day but rather a lack of cooperation.  Because today every one's clothes felt right, sock seams didn't bother the toes, the too big winter boots didn't cause any grief... in other words, when all the stars are aligned, we have plenty of time to get out the door in the morning.

Some days, though, it feels like the wheels are falling off the parenting bus and I am about to drive it into the ditch. When every request that is made is refuted as though the leader of the opposition party resides right here in my home.  And then I start to sweat the small stuff even though Don't Sweat the Small Stuff has sold  a billion copies.  Because it feels like every small decision has such huge repercussions.

Big sister's second haircut.  Remember her first?  It is so long when it's combed out straight.  Rachel asked if I've ever straightened her hair.  I replied, "Never!  She'll be doing it herself soon enough."

And at the end of the day, after sweating about 20 small things, the big thing is I just want my girls to know that I love them.  And to say that I want them to grow up to be happy is such a cliche and would definitely be selling them short.  I want them to be more than just happy.  Because I can make them happy.  I can buy them that treat, I can let them not brush their teeth, I can let them not clean their messes... and they would be happy. 

My baby's first haircut.  Before.
And after.

Sister tossed her hair around as though she was a shampoo commercial star!

I want more than just happy.  I want kindness and living with a conscious.  I want them to not only know right from wrong but to know when they choose wrong they have the power to fix it.  I want them to know that sometimes hard work pays off and you get the prize but usually hard work gets you the self-satisfaction of a job well done.  I want them to know passion and compassion.  I want then to know love.

Our friend turned five.  Five seems so grown up.  Like when you ask how old they are and they say, "this many," and they no longer have to push any other fingers down.  Every finger on the hand counts.

And all of these things I want for them comes in the form of words like this... "you need to wear a hat it's cold out today,  sit down in your seat we need to be safe, we eat our food at the table,  TV time is done, share and take turns, you can't just grab things from people, use your words, kind words only, try again, please and thank you, put things back when you're done, hands are not for hitting, hugs and kisses only, no banging, fix the problem, inside voices, brush your teeth,  time for bed..."



Cute snowmen craft...thanks to an early Christmas present.  We glued the foamy snowmen to the clothespins on the art clothesline to hold up the pictures the girls made last week.

So when I'm sweating the small stuff and digging my parenting bus out of the ditch I must remind myself of my own wants.  That when I choose wrong I can make it right.  That parenting is hard work and the pay off is the self-satisfaction of a job well done.  


And... I should have wore a hat because it's cold out here digging my bus out of the snow bank.

1 comment:

Christine said...

Love your snowmen clips!!!!!!

You do a great job of being a parent. I envy the way those "just right words" seem to just roll off your tongue. And your right... we all feel like we are digging ourselves out of ditches, but at the end of that day the
"mama I love you" makes up for it all. Those years fly by so fast... look at my 5 year year old baby!