Sunday, June 2, 2013

Growth

This week has had a lot of parenting challenges. Some major six year old crises have occurred.  The headlines would read something like, " Ponytails Not in the Right Spot Results in Nuclear Meltdown", "A Broken Shoe Creates Havoc Before Dinner", "Twenty-five Pairs of Shorts and None of Them Feel Right"... 
And so you know, this is not an finite list.



I don't want to go into a "this parenting thing is hard" rant because that's a given.  And by the time I sit down to write, the girls are tucked into bed and feelings have softened to the point of being over it.  I don't think I was ever disillusioned to think the task of raising the next generation was going to be a cakewalk.  I believed other people when they told their trials and tribulations.

What I didn't realize was that all the no's, and non -compliance, the arguing and meltdowns are necessary for growth.  When your patience gets pushed to its limit it's like exercising your muscles to exhaustion. In the moment you can't take anymore but the next day your muscle is toned and stronger.  The next day your patience is refueled and stronger.



And while the muscles and patience are recovering, there's plenty of time for forgiveness and I'm sorries.  Promises to do better and try harder.  All necessary for our growth as humans.  The thing about dropping pictures into a post like this is looking back at smiling faces and peaceful moments. A reminder that the tough moments do not make up the majority.  That life is good and calm and peaceful.



I don't usually like to dwell on these "rough" moments.  Rough in quotations because my rough day is meager in comparison to others truly "rough" days. Usually using this comparison is helpful to keep us out of the poor me, bad day slump.  When you go through the list of gratitudes... we have our health, our family, food to eat, shelter from the storm...you know it could always be worse.  But this comparison can be as dangerous as other comparisons we make between our lives and others.  Because there is a truth when we acknowledge our feelings.  To say, this moment was tough,  my patience was lost somewhere after the sixth pair of shorts that didn't feel right, the second attempt at hair ponies and the impromptu trip to Wal-Mart scouring the shelves looking for any pair of shoes that would meet the never ending criteria of a six year old. This is truth.


Happy 90th Birthday Grandma Betty.
What is great about having only meager rough moments in one's day is that recovery is quick and it feels good.  Talks are had, hugs are given, and feelings are repaired.  And we've grown.

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