So much of this parenting malarkey is hard. No, hard doesn't do it justice... more like HARD! I have the most stubborn 3 year old to tame, where even the simplest things like getting dressed become a daily battle of wills. I have a 7 month old who has not yet slept for longer than 3 hours in a row. Ever. And who still demands at least two small night feeds. Every single night.
As a stay at home mum, I spend every waking hour in my children's presence (minus the few hours in the early evening when they sleep and a couple of hours at the weekend when my husband is home to help). Spending so much time with them sometimes makes it hard to appreciate what I have. When Dave comes home, I find myself complaining about them, what they didn't do right, how they annoyed me, what tantrums we had. He always shakes his head and says that I'm so lucky to spend so much time with them, that he would love to see them more because they are growing so fast.
So the other day, I decided to focus on the good things that happened that day. When Dave came home, I replayed the funny things Alice had said, the scrapes and pickles Thomas had gotten himself into (getting half stuck under the sofa for example!). I told him how Alice had actually eaten all her carrots and broccoli and dinner, how Thomas had napped for nearly an hour and I had managed an entire cup of hot coffee for the first time in days... Dave looked at me and said I sound like I had a good day!
But it was just like every other day. it made me realise that, there are no good days or bad days with young children. Every day is full of it's battles, tantrums, those moment where you want to pull your hair out. But each day is also filled with those amazing, incredible moments that make your heart swell as you watch your babies become bigger and more grown up right in front of your eyes.
Ever day has the potential to be a good day, if we just teach ourselves to seek out the good things and drown out the bad things.
So these are my children. My completely imperfect, loud, stubborn and down right crazy children. And I love love love them!!!
xx
This is a lovely post and very very true xx
ReplyDeleteI love this post.... Rings so true with me. I've actually been known to ring my other half before now whilst he was at work simply to have a cry on the phone because the kids were running rings around me!
ReplyDeleteI also try and focus on the good moments of each day and I'm very lucky that Martyn gets to work from home one day a week so while Livvy is at nursery I get one morning to myself which I'm so grateful for.
Martyn too tells me how lucky I am and although I can't always see it, I know he's right for the days when I do tell him about all those funny little things they've done or said he so wishes he had seen or heard them too. We're very lucky to have the opportunity to stay at home with them :) xx
Http://www.itsalwaysdarkestbeforethedawn1.blogspot.co.uk
Oops... When I say "we're" I meant you and I as Martyn works in the office the other 4 days of the week :)
ReplyDeleteI can understand this, it's easy to focus on the negative aspects of being a stay at home mum but once you understand that you're losing sight of what's really important you realise just how lucky we are.
ReplyDeleteJenna at Tinyfootsteps xx
So true, really need to read this, so glad I found it via Potty Mouthed Mummy's blog, fab post and gorgeous pictures x
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness this is so true, and my life! I moan so much about how hard my day is, and then blog about how wonderful the twins are!! I must sound so mixed up!! However it is hard work, and they do test me to the extreme...but they're amazing and it's wonderful too! Love this post. Jess x
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