You know the ones I am talking about. The ones that have their child melting down in public and you just sit there and wonder what the heck is going on over there. The ones that you keep thinking that they should have better control of their child than that. Then sometimes it is the pity you feel for those poor parents. But mostly it the second one about controlling your child. And you swear that when you have kids, they will not act like this—ever--especially in public. Well, my thoughts and words have come back to bite me. I was one of those parents last night. It is God’s way of punishing you for being judgmental, I am sure of it.
Last night was Elizabeth’s school open house/meet the teacher/dinner celebration and from the moment Sean and I walked in the door to the moment we left, our little miss was just a hot mess of emotional instability. It all started over a lollipop and Mommy thinking she did not need to eat it at school right before dinner. From there, it just went down hill. Now, do not get me wrong, we had a few moments of happy giggles and bliss, but mostly it was just drama. Daddy had to take Elizabeth outside for a little while to cool off and to get into a better frame of mind. After we apologized to our teachers for being a drama queen, Mommy and Daddy began to count down the minutes till we could blow that pop stand and get out of there before melt down one million could begin. P. S. there were other families in there at the same time and yes, their children were angels.
Parenthood is hard. I know that I am still scratching just the surface of it, but by golly, it is easily the hardest thing I have had to do yet. It makes marriage look like a piece of cake and we all know that it is far from that. While parenthood is definitely trying for me, I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that I really do have patience that is a lot longer than I thought it could be. I have also learned that some days my patience has a very short leash. I have learned that Elizabeth asks why just because she can and is really not asking questions. On the other hand, I have learned that I can get really creative with some of my answers and recall science facts and other random tidbits that I thought were long forgotten. I have learned that attempting to break bad habits/slang/mannerisms is like talking to a brick wall at times. It truly is the definition of perseverance though because I WILL win. I WILL have a polite child. I have also learned to pick my battles. Does Elizabeth need to take every stuffed animal with her to bed at night? Nope. But is it worth the fight to insist that she just take one? Nope. There are countless others that make me a better person because I have experienced Elizabeth.
I love her independence and spirit. It is something that I hope never fades away, but it is trying on Mommy and Daddy. In the mean time, we wait patiently, guiding with a gentle and sometimes firm hand, attempting to reason with a 2.5 year old mind, but mostly just loving her the way that God created her. In the meantime, we will continue being those parents when our number is up—hopefully, that will not be very often. See, I’m wishfully hoping…
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