Mom Mondays - Out the Window

Structure is very important to me. Always has been. I'm big on lists, schedules, long-term plans & the hour-by-hour forecast on weather.com. If I was a little more prone to staying on top of the housework and a little less prone to napping I would definitely identify myself as "Type A". I guess maybe I'm an A- or something...

When I 1st became a Mom, I found it really frustrating when things didn't go my way. After all, I had quit my job to stay-at-home full-time, being a Mom was my job, so any deviation from the plan was clearly due to some failure on my part to do my job well. I just could not understand why I couldn't get things to work out exactly the way they were supposed to all the time. Looking back on it now, I just want to give myself a hug, a big glass of wine and a huge chill pill.

What I've learned is that every detail of children's days cannot be "managed". Not because I'm somehow failing as a Mother, but b/c my kids are their own little people w/their own ideas and plans and needs and sometimes those don't fit into my own...AND THAT'S OKAY.

There are going to be days when you're 20 mins late no matter how early you start getting ready.

There are going to be days when your 2 year old refuses to eat anything except string cheese for breakfast no matter how many exciting ways you cut up their pancakes.

There are going to be days when your 15 month old ruins not 1, not 2, but 3 outfits while learning to spoon-feed himself.

And there are going to be days, like today, when your son is just not ready to go to bed (even after 2 hours of trying to get him to close his eyes) and instead of being mad and frustrated, you are going to let your little boy win one battle and instead invite him to a picnic on the family room floor w/you and Daddy....

Yes, he stayed up 3 hours passed his bedtime. Yes, he got crumbs all over the floor. But he also made you laugh and that's worth throwing the schedule out the window for. At least for 1 night.