When We Need Each Other Most

Sometimes I look at this little face and wonder how on earth he can be so lovable and so difficult all in the same day. Every time I start thinking this mommy thing isn't so hard... God gives us something new to work on. I am learning that parenthood is not nearly as black and white as we often expect it to be. The answers look so obvious when you are sitting there dreaming of that tiny little newborn.

I will never do this or that.
I will punish bad behavior and reward good behavior.
They will never bite, or hit, or throw things... because they will be taught how to act.

The thing we so often don't realize when we are day dreaming about being parents is that the path to that well behaved child is not an easy one. And no child is ever perfect. They will bite, hit, and throw things. And we all handle those actions differently but the point is... we all have to deal with them. There are no perfect babies, toddlers, children, teens, or adults. We are all works in progress, and it is a long road that takes a lot of hard work. It is not as black and white as it once seemed.

Most of us want the same end result. The end goal is to have compassionate, intelligent, self sufficient adults. Dan and I also hope to have an adult that loves God with all of his heart and has a desire to serve him.

There are a million parenting books out there. There are moms with experience that can offer opinions and give us ideas on how to handle things. There are blog posts, and movies, and a whole bunch of resources offering the formula to a well behaved child in just one week. While some of those resources are so helpful, there are still going to be days when we just have that pit left at the end of the day. The one that makes us feel like we failed again.

Logan has been testing a lot this week. He knows the boundaries or rules he is expected to follow, but he has been testing his limits, and ultimately leaving me a little exhausted at the end of the day. Then, I woke up this morning and read this blog post. It was just what I needed. A little reminder to be the person that encourages a mom that is struggling. To remember that we are all in it together and sometimes all we need is a kind smile, an encouraging word, or an understanding heart.

So if you are a mom that is dealing with the feeling that you have failed today...
If you just can't take one more thing...
If you are pretty sure your kid was the only kid that disobeyed time after time at that play group...
You are not alone. We all handle it in different ways, but we are all in it together.
One day this stage will be over. These long days will all be worth it.
You are doing a good job... I promise.