Sometimes, although we can see our babies growing up before our very eyes, it can be easy to get lost in all the duties, responsibilities, disciplining, directing, and so on that you rarely take a step outside of the day to day and see how much you have grown as a Mom (and I am not referring to that extra baby weight). But I mean true growth - things that really matter - such as letting go of the things/standards/ideals that you once held tightly to with little to no reason.
So I am going to do that now because just a few days ago, I had a realization. I have grown! I have grown in matters of Play-Doh! You see, some five or so years ago, when my life as a Mom ran into the fun activity of Play-Doh, I was, shall we say just a little OCD over mixing Play-Doh colors. It was a big deal to me, because naturally, wouldn't anyone feel better about keeping all of the colors separated so that they stayed fresh, and clean and pretty - and in their original state? It was logical. I let Reece play with Play-Doh, and Chase too when he came along - and as he (and later, they) played...I policed. No - not only the potentially huge mess that stuff can make all over your house - but I also policed the color mixing. It was not gonna happen under my watch!
Well, guess what folks! Life happens and through it all, I have learned that I have much bigger fish to fry! (talk about an understatement!)
Pierce got a Play-Doh set for his birthday and I think it might actually have been his first experience with the stuff. And ya know what - we played - all of us together - and I didn't have a care in the world about whether they combined colors. Okay, I'll be honest - I did simplysuggest that they might consider keeping them separate...but that was all. I suggested only once and then let them have at it. That's progress, I'd say. No more policing, just a gentle suggestion. :)
I know, this is just a silly illustration, but the truth is, I think we don't acknowledge our growth enough - as individuals, as Mom's, as wives, whatever it may be. Growth is a big deal. It's something to celebrate. If I look back on how far I have come in nearly 7 years of being a Mom, I must say - I have grown. I have grown in my confidence, in learning to trust my intuition, in prioritizing, in multi-tasking (ha!) I have a long way to go but I have a little better of a grasp on what is a battle worth fighting over (and yet still fail often in this area!) I have several friends who are just beginning this motherhood journey and I try to be a voice of encouragement to them - that they are gonna grow so much and it (the intuition, the confidence, the knowledge) - it is all gonna come together.
It is a fun journey to be on - a challenging and very serious one - but definitely a fun one ~ mixed colors or not!
Would you like to share something that you have "figured out" is not such a big deal as you once thought it was? :)
2 comments:
a couple of weeks ago i made some playdough and handed it over to alani, i think one pink and one purple, after a while she was really confused as to where all the pink had gone. . .um, ya mixed it in with the purple sweet thing!!!!
ah, growth as a mom? i'm just starting to get to the point where i hear myself lecturing and try to stop myself. . . i'm NOT going down that road :) awareness is the first step right?
i know there HAS to be some adorable easter photo of your family, or at least your boys, on the way. . . and i'm guessing that once you settle back in after your trip, there will suddenly be five posts to catch up on. . .but no pressure or anything :) it's taken me 11 days to blog about a six day trip, and i only have half the kids to take care of on a daily basis :)
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