I only have one child, my wonderful, cute little boy Joseph. He actually is pretty goodhumoured as well. Though as anyone knows, life with a todler has his moments. The spills, the running, trying out tantrums.... they are part and parcel of the cuddly yummyness that is having a todler.
That means that there are days I am tired. There are moments I am exasperated. There are moments where I simply do not get everything done that I want to. And I feel dread in my heart when someone says "oh you are tired now? Wait till you have...-two, three, four- children." "Or wait till you have teenagers!" It makes me want to run upstairs and hide under the covers.
But then there are the other moments. The moments when you just need to tackle and tickle that todler to hear that giggle. The moments when you see him try to put his pants on like a jacket. The moments when you see his daddy read to him, and he sits on that lap so seriously looking at the book and calling out the words when he knows what he needs to say.. "If you give a mouse a .... Kie-y (cookie)He will want a glass of ..... meh (milk). It makes my heart melt.
I store this moments in my memory like a miser hords treasure. They remind me that underneath life's challenges, there is a simple and steady platform of happiness that my life rests on. It's build on faith, family and friends. It's build on love for the Lord, my husband, my child and my fellow man. There is no great big secret to the reason why I am happy even when my todler spills a nearly full cup of milk on the kitchen floor, just after I have cleaned it. Of course I am not happy that he spills it. And I have by far not reached the serenity to not be bothered by it. But even amidst a grumply moment, that platform underneath it never wavers. My mood may be altered for a bit, but the underlaying security and happiness does not. And that puts a different light on the must difficult day.
2 comments:
Absolutely! My daighter is 7 months old and she is often up a million times a night. It's exhausting! But the sweet little smile she gives me when I go in to pick her up- it makes it all worth it. And it helps me to drag myself out of bed the next time! Babies are just magic aren't they?
PS. I couldn't find an email for you, but I wanted to let you know I added your blog to my blogroll at Milkandcuddles- hope that's ok? Not sure the blog ettiquete on doing that without asking!
You know what...I find it far less taxing and exhausting having a toddler now...with four other kids around and being a decade older...than I did when there was just the one. I don't know if it's because I am more scattered and hence can focus on the great parts and better overlook the more challenging aspects-or if it's that through the hands on experience I have learned to surrender more and that things which used to try my to the bone, just don't bother me anymore.
I have enjoyed each child's toddlerhood progressively more with each subsequent child..and I think that is true of each and every phase of their lives.
Mostly an encouragement not to go and hide under your covers. :) I find motherhood to get easier in nearly every regard with more children than I have with fewer.
Post a Comment