I kept an eye on them from the kitchen window as my five children played in the back yard, washing my dishes I drifted back in time when I had no responsibilities, back when life was carefree, I could read books, use the bathroom and do other things without interruption. Life was good back then, “but life is way better now” I mused to myself. Working my way through the pile of dishes I felt relief and satisfaction on another task done.
Where does grit and courage come from? Is it an outside force or something deep within? I feel it comes from both inside and out. Moms with children can attest to this, its grit that keeps you sane and moving forward when it feels like there is nothing more to give. I have my own gritty stories…
“I think I have it all figured out”, I said as I madly dashed around trying to do everything at once. The house was a wreck and my children were right in the middle loving the messiness. I thought if I did more it would magically get better. I WAS WRONG!
They were so little, and they took all my hours. I shuffled around and got my work done half the time. I tied shoes, wiped noses, kept them clean and safe the years came and went. They started school, one by one kindergarten, first, second and then third.
The struggle in my head. I’m a good mom, I did everything right today. I’m a bad mom I yelled at my kids, I got impatient, I just wanted to pack my bags and leave. There isn’t a mom alive who doesn’t relate in some form or another to this internal battlefield.
We all know chores are a necessary cog in the wheel of life, our children however aren’t born with this knowledge, they protest it from the very beginning. You must be creative with the thing, slip it into a fun sandwich for lack of a better descriptive for it. You be like, chores? What chores? We are having fun right here!
I tried both when raising my children, I liked spontaneous better! Yes…yes I know structure is what some people swear by and if it works for you great! I didn’t have feeding schedules, I didn’t have nap schedules. If my child got sleepy at 10 am I would rock them to sleep, if they didn’t go to sleep until 1 pm I was good with that too. If they got hungry I had food for them. I understand this method does not work for everyone, but it worked well for me.
She was screaming and kicking her little feet, protesting a nap. She really thought I was buying the act. I wasn’t, but the energy it took to defuse the situation was too draining, so I ignored it for the moment while I took care of her baby brother. Yes, my two-year-old was throwing a temper tantrum, I was at home, so I allowed it to continue for a bit. I finished changing my three-month-old and put him in his crib.
A choice is made in a moment and it can alter your life forever. Once the course is shifted how do you reverse it? You don’t. You live out the course until another moment and another choice comes.
Children and dirt go together like coffee and cream. They not only love the stuff, it’s attracted to them like a magnet. As a mom of five I learned quickly not to be uptight about them getting dirty, dirt on shoes, dirt on clothes that’s what a washer and dryer are for to remove said dirt! Spring rains bring on the mud!