The little moments in between
As a mom, I sometimes feel like I live within a split personality. I seem to go from being in total awe of the two precious children that I have to literally wanting to pull my hair out when they fight and argue. Who ever thought that two children, separated by four whole years and divided by gender, could actually argue as much as my little ones do?!
Landen is polishing off the art of irritating his little sister while McKaylee is coming into her own as a sassy, opinionated and drama-filled little girl. The combination can create fireworks. Just this morning, Landen told his chunky counter-part that she needed to eat her breakfast. This command was followed by a sassy, "No!". The conversation that followed went something like this: "Yes!", "No!", "Yes!", "No!", "Yes!", "No!". I was so in "awe" at their ability to keep this up for so long that I almost went into a trance. That quickly ended when McKaylee let out one of her famous whiny screams. I corrected them both, told them to stop arguing and reminded Landen that it is Mommy's job to tell McKaylee what to do. And, yes, I do realize that stopping the argument the very instant it begins is the best way to head off such a dramatic ending, but I'm not always "on my toes" first thing in the morning.
Yesterday as we were cruising through Walmart, both of my children decided that they needed to ride in the buggy. I have no problem with this, as it really makes my shopping much easier, but then the fighting began. And the ridiculous part about it is that they were arguing about who got to hold which grocery item in their lap! I kept correcting and disciplining, only to have another argument spark about a tub of butter, at which point I began to break a sweat. I closed my eyes for a moment, yearning for some quiet, begging God for some patience and when I opened my eyes, a smile spread across my face. For there giggling together were two little people, two of the most important people in my life. Landen had pulled his little sister into his lap and was whispering quietly in her ear. She was tickled and delighted by this and started trying to whisper into his cheek instead of his ear, it seemed as though she didn't quite understand the concept of telling a secret. But it served its purpose as Landen broke out into laughter and tightly hugged his chubby, little sister. He sweetly kissed her on the face and she beamed with joy. A stranger passed us by and commented on how sweet it was to see two siblings who love each other so much. (He also went on to say that they actually looked like toys and not children, but I thought that kind of ruined the moment so we'll leave that part out.)
And I realized how much those little moments make it all worthwhile. Just to see my son, who is quickly becoming a young man, showering his little sister with love and affection brings a joy to me that I cannot put into words. And to see my little McKaylee constantly toddling after her big brother, aspiring to be everything that he is, lighting up with pure joy at just the sight of him; it touches my heart so deeply that it brings me to tears. The fact is, they don't come here with a dose of maturity, they're going to fight and argue about anything and everything....sometimes even all day long. But in those little moments where I get to see the bond they share and the love they so deeply feel for one another, I realize how blessed I truly am. Maybe it is a little bit like having a split personality, somehow I think it's all just a part of being a mom. And at the end of the day, it's a moment like this that makes my job as mediator, correctional officer and disciplinarian completely worthwhile..
Landen is polishing off the art of irritating his little sister while McKaylee is coming into her own as a sassy, opinionated and drama-filled little girl. The combination can create fireworks. Just this morning, Landen told his chunky counter-part that she needed to eat her breakfast. This command was followed by a sassy, "No!". The conversation that followed went something like this: "Yes!", "No!", "Yes!", "No!", "Yes!", "No!". I was so in "awe" at their ability to keep this up for so long that I almost went into a trance. That quickly ended when McKaylee let out one of her famous whiny screams. I corrected them both, told them to stop arguing and reminded Landen that it is Mommy's job to tell McKaylee what to do. And, yes, I do realize that stopping the argument the very instant it begins is the best way to head off such a dramatic ending, but I'm not always "on my toes" first thing in the morning.
Yesterday as we were cruising through Walmart, both of my children decided that they needed to ride in the buggy. I have no problem with this, as it really makes my shopping much easier, but then the fighting began. And the ridiculous part about it is that they were arguing about who got to hold which grocery item in their lap! I kept correcting and disciplining, only to have another argument spark about a tub of butter, at which point I began to break a sweat. I closed my eyes for a moment, yearning for some quiet, begging God for some patience and when I opened my eyes, a smile spread across my face. For there giggling together were two little people, two of the most important people in my life. Landen had pulled his little sister into his lap and was whispering quietly in her ear. She was tickled and delighted by this and started trying to whisper into his cheek instead of his ear, it seemed as though she didn't quite understand the concept of telling a secret. But it served its purpose as Landen broke out into laughter and tightly hugged his chubby, little sister. He sweetly kissed her on the face and she beamed with joy. A stranger passed us by and commented on how sweet it was to see two siblings who love each other so much. (He also went on to say that they actually looked like toys and not children, but I thought that kind of ruined the moment so we'll leave that part out.)
And I realized how much those little moments make it all worthwhile. Just to see my son, who is quickly becoming a young man, showering his little sister with love and affection brings a joy to me that I cannot put into words. And to see my little McKaylee constantly toddling after her big brother, aspiring to be everything that he is, lighting up with pure joy at just the sight of him; it touches my heart so deeply that it brings me to tears. The fact is, they don't come here with a dose of maturity, they're going to fight and argue about anything and everything....sometimes even all day long. But in those little moments where I get to see the bond they share and the love they so deeply feel for one another, I realize how blessed I truly am. Maybe it is a little bit like having a split personality, somehow I think it's all just a part of being a mom. And at the end of the day, it's a moment like this that makes my job as mediator, correctional officer and disciplinarian completely worthwhile..
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