Unexpected Moments

Parenting....the single most complicated yet rewarding word I've ever known. No one ever really knows what they're getting into and no one ever really knows what they're going to get. It seems like each new stage of development throws in a new learning curve you have to adapt to. All this while making sure house and home are in order (organized chaos in my case) and wondering whether the environment you're creating is going to make you the perfect child. Well, most days you'll settle for the child that isn't breaking eardrums with their screams or taste testing the newest crumbs the couch has to offer.

And sometimes, just when you think you've got it down, along comes the next.  "This one will be easy." "The first one was a piece of cake so how hard will the second one really be?"  I was fortunate enough to have the experience that #1 was the dream child. (For the sake of this post, #1 is CJ since my stepson, TJ, was 6 when he came into my life.)  He was rarely sick, happy, easy going, and slept through the night by 3 months. (To those of you who had the difficult child as #1 I applaud your bravery to expand.)  Then reality smacked me in the face like I missed a giant fish they threw to me at Pike's Place.  Reality...served ice cold, slimy, and really smelly. In my case, AJ was the curse everyone talks about for baby #2.  And welcoming her with a little 15 month old at home was probably the hardest thing I've done.  She was sick more often, fussy, messy, and didn't sleep longer than 3 hours at a time until she was about 9 months old.   I had to learn this parenting thing all over again and this time it was at least 3 times more challenging than it was with #1.  She was a completely different child.  But as they've both gotten older they generally listen better than ever.  Although the lack of listening sometimes results in parenting prizes...like cleaning up spilled anything for the 3rd time...or being looked directly in the eye while AJ proceeds to pee through her prized Minnie panties all over the floor.  Anyone have any good tips for potty training girls?  Of course, as with all else, she defies the stereotype of being easier to potty train than boys. 

But the point of this is not to complain or compare or garner sympathy from anyone.  The point is that unexpected moments can tell you that maybe you're not doing as bad as you thought.  That maybe a lot of self doubt is just you being your hardest critic.  That maybe your style, even though slightly different for each child, is working a little better than you imagined.  And that maybe when a complete stranger and his wife approach you in a restaurant to tell you that your family is beautiful and your children are very well behaved that they really mean it!

Keep your eyes open for a quick little blog post tomorrow evening honoring my cute niece and a little more about the class project we're helping her with.  Thanks for reading!