Things I Hear That Warm My Heart

Last week we had some friends in the van with us.  One of these kids asked Frances why she was still in a car seat since she is nine years old.  I cringed a little bit because I was worried that she was going to feel awkward or babyish about it.  I also didn't want her to get made fun of because I know most of her friends don't sit in car seats anymore.  Then my ears perked up as I listened to her explain to her friend how seat belts work and how the belt is supposed to come across her body at a certain place and she just wasn't tall enough yet.  As she explained to her friend why her car seat was the safest place for her to be, I took a moment to congratulate myself on doing something right.

After taking my kids with me all over town last weekend doing good deeds, I was exhausted.  Then two days later while we were cleaning out some of the toy baskets in the dining room, I overheard Henry examining toys.  He said, "I have two of these, so I can give one to someone else."  And then I heard, "I don't play with this very much, I think somebody else would."  We had a bag ready to go that we could put stuff in, but the kids are always reluctant to actually get rid of stuff.  This time I hadn't even asked; he just started filling the bag on his own.  After I dried my eyes, and thanked him; I took a moment to congratulate myself on doing something right.

It's hard to know how you're doing with a two (almost three) year old, but I did catch him singing Mass parts last month, so that tells me that at least something is sinking in.  Also, we experimented with potty training over the weekend and I had Ben in some vinyl pants with no diaper.  He was sitting on the carpet in the living room and all of a sudden his eyes got big and he yelled, "MOMMY!"  You parents out there know what that means, so I scooped him up and took him to the bathroom. I'll skip the TMI details, except to mention that he earned 3 M&Ms.  He went back out to the living room while I got his treat.  When I gave him the three M&Ms he got very excited.  Then he said, "I give one to Bubby!!  Because I love him!" And he proceeded to share his treat with his brother.

Motherhood is hard.  Issues seem to always get split into two camps and mothers tear each other down over choices like breastfeeding, homeschooling and parenting philosophies.It's good to stop every once in a while and reflect on the things you are doing right.  It will improve your perspective next time you yell at them for not flushing the toilet!