You know the guilt.
Good ol' mom guilt.
My plans and idea for the day ahead had gone to, well, crap. Laundry was at the top of the to-do list yet again. I was feeling very unimportant. Behind those guilty feelings was an overly happy (naked) 2 year old. Because of him my guilty feelings and self pity had begun to fade. I realized I was letting the minor details of a bumpy morning control the rest of my day and possibly my self worth.
As I began to think about it, this could actually be the most important day of my life. It's a pretty big statement but broken down, the details are hard to argue with.
I was responsible for dressing and feeding a 5 year old and arranging higher education trasportation for him to learn and succeed in this world.
I was in charge of entertaining and teaching values to a 2 year old that is building the foundation for a lifetime of learning and interacting with others.
I am also responsible for teaching him to use the restroom, in the appropriate place, all the time. Now if that's not a lifelong lesson we should ALL be thanking someone(MOM) for, I don't know what is!
I was then unexpectedly resposible for providing a change of clothing for my 5 year old and his accident at school. I promise you, I DID teach him the "appropriate places" lesson. It just didn't happen this time. I didn't have to leave the office to go get clothes to take to school. I just had to put on flip flops and walk out the door. I was able to get there rather quickly to be at his aid in a time of crisis. I'd say that's pretty important. He now knows 1) to not wait "too late" and 2) that I'll be there for him in his time of need.
I returned to see that Lincoln is making HUGE progress. He's not just doing #1 by himself in the potty, he's moved on to #2. Sure, it make a huge mess. It wasn't fun to clean up but he's responding to my training and learning to be independent. I get to be a big part of his independence and that is important.
All too often I live my life by WHAT is happening and not WHO is happening. These boys are growing up. Too quickly. They are learning more and more every day and because I stay home with them, much of what they learn both educational and emotional is because of me. They don't just learn from what I teach them. They are learning from the way I LIVE. So why should I not live like every single day is the most important day of my life?
As I went over the details of what I labeled a crappy day, I saw the light of day. I saw that THIS day was important and I was an important part of 2 little lives. That fact alone could make it the most important day my life. And I hope tomorrow is not any different.
Missed your post yesterday, so I had to go back and read it. I think we are all guilty of this not taking time to appreciate the little things in life. Great post! thanks for reminding us.
ReplyDelete