From a Freudian slip comes a realization

So I’m singing along with the kids to one of their CDs in the car this morning and the chorus of the song goes something like this:

Then enters a calm

Lately I’ve been feeling calmer. So have my kids. I don’t know what has come over me. I’ve read two parenting books, both fairly different in their philosophies.

But both books spoke to me and centered me. I am, rather suddenly, a more confident parent.

March Break and Birthdays

For as long as I can remember, my birthday has been defined by March Break.

When I was a kid, my birthday parties were either way before my birthday or way after; never the weekend of my birthday because either all of my friends were away or we were away.

You, not your stuff

Ever notice how many little toys young children collect?

New year. New mom.

Is there a better mom in the works inside me? I know there is a woman trying to claw her way out of me each time I yell at my kids because they have ignored me for the umpteenth time that hour about something or other.

A Penchant for Drama

Just read a great post over here. Made me want to create my own list of things that residents of my house consider tragic.

Rough morning exit

I got home very late. It was the company Christmas party. I was out enjoying myself with my colleagues while my husband enjoyed some time alone with the children.

Parenting tactics

So, I’ve been trying a tactic with my toddler. Whenever he does something that he’s not supposed to do, for example, pulling on the curtains, I tell him, in my best stern mommy voice, to stop pulling on the curtains. I add a “please” to the end of my instruction, partly to teach politeness and manners by example and partly because all of my teaching by example has led my four-year-old to become the politeness police. I’d be severely reprimanded if I didn’t finish with a “please” or a “thank-you”.

The little things

I was walking back to my car after dropping my daughter off at school when I realized I had something in my hand. I opened my hand and there, cradled in my palm, was a small pebble, a perfectly formed decor stone, and a little pink and white button.

In the rush of getting my daughter into her classroom this morning, she must have put these little treasures in my hand without me realizing it. And now, there they were, to remind me of her as I rushed off to work.

It gave me pause (and made me incredibly happy) to see these three little items to which she attached so much importance. I knew I had to keep them safe for her and return them to her when I picked her up from school.

Those little treasures, now so important to me, are tiny symbols of the trust she has in me to take care of her and of her things.

In our busy life, I often expect her to remind me of things that she needs or wants. I’m trying to teach her to be responsible for herself. I forget that she’s only a little girl and all she needs to be “responsible” for is having fun and learning. As her mom, it’s my job, regardless of how busy I am, to take care of her so that she is free to have fun and to learn.

And these little treasures she has entrusted me with, these are little pieces of her that she has given to me to teach me how to better take care of her. She has reached inside my busy mind and given me hope that I can be the mom she needs me to be, even on the days when I am so tired and so busy that I can’t slow down enough to breathe. All I have to do is look at the picture on my phone (which is forever with me even when she can’t be), and be transported to that moment when I saw her message through three tiny treasures.

The Coat

The Coat. Yes, it’s a big enough deal to write about. And yes, it’s a proper noun.

My daughter, now 4 years old, has always been on the petite side. She has usually worn clothes one size smaller than her age. So when the cold arrived this year, she was still wearing her size 3 winter coat. And she was fine with that. She had developed an attachment to it over the course of the previous cold season. And aside from the odd complaint when she had on a thick sweater, she was, in fact, quite taken with it. So much so that, when I realized that it was actually too small for her and mentioned that we should go shopping for a new winter coat, she became very distraught.