As an older mom, I have the gift of perspective.
I’m not so old that I don’t remember the days when it felt like the walls of the house were closing in on me. When one more high-pitched scream would surely send me over the edge of sanity.
Maybe this is why it’s so satisfying to watch my own daughter as she grows through motherhood. The Grandson is 3 and is doing what all 3-year-olds are destined to do – drive their mothers up the wall!
On a particularly challenging day this week, she turned to me and said, “I know that one day I will look back and say these days were delightful, won’t I?”
As the elder sage – who has made every parenting mistake in the book – I wisely nodded my head and said, “Yes, but that day is not TODAY, is it dear?”
What’s the solution then – for the mom who sees mind-numbing sameness spread endlessly before her?
It’s somewhere in this – in savoring the small stuff. When wonder child is screaming at the top of his lungs, admire his endurance and the way his cheeks turn bright red when he is angry. When wild boy is running away from you on the sidewalk, take a mental picture of the way his hair is carried lightly on the wind. When you have to wrestle him through a tantrum, remember that those strong arms that will someday love and comfort a wife, or even hug you in a time of need.
It changes. Fast. What is going on today will not be what is going on tomorrow. In the whooshing-by of motherhood, remember that you have a divine appointment. God gave you THIS child to train and to teach you a few things. You are on a divine mission. In the joy and in the madness. You were meant for this.
It’s real mom life … cherish the journey.
