Finding Joy in Parenting
My daughter Rose has always had trouble sleeping through the night. We have tried a plethora of remedies, chamomile tea, warm milk, lavender massage. Sound machines, weighted blankets, pre-bedtime baths, anything that would afford us restful sleep. To no avail, nothing has proven effective. Our household has experienced many restless nights followed by many grouchy days.
After one of those difficult nights I awoke feeling completely defeated. I had already begun to sprout fangs as I am rather beastly when sleep deprived. If I had been given three peaceful minutes alone to stand upright I would have fallen asleep on the spot. However, my kids on the other hand awoke with all cylinders revving, despite what transpired in the sleepless night.
Unbeknownst to me, my kids had a plan to de-fang me and transform the day in a way only they could. As the morning dragged on we decided to go for a bike ride to help pass the time. We stopped at their favorite spot, the bumpy big slides. Their giddiness and merriment grew as they mounted the stairs and descended upon the waves of the slides one after the other. The rattle of the swings filled the air and the Colorado sun shone with its usual intensity. As lunch time approached we secured our helmets and headed home.
As I put the bikes away my kids manages to pry open the freezer in an attempt to liberate three popsicles that they intended to have in place of their well rounded, healthy lunch. In this moment I normally would have gotten upset that they took something out of the freezer without asking. But their beaming smiles, just couldn’t be denied. They were so proud of their accomplishment. We sat us three, in the middle of the kitchen floor as we tore into our sugary and refreshing popsicles. As the juice began to run down their chins Rose and Alastair began toasting their popsicles. With each crash came an exuberant “cheers!”, over and over and over again. They exploded with laughter after each exchange, until they were gasping for breath in between each laugh.
“They’d done it, they had changed the entire trajectory of my entire day.”
As the tiredness began to ebb and glee began to bubble up from my own tummy. A sense of incredible gratitude filled my heart. They’d done it, they had changed the entire trajectory of my entire day. Cheers to motherhood, cheers to the sweet moments in life. Cheers to my favorite little humans of all time.
When the bees sting, find the honey.
-Patience
One Comment
Seeker
Awwwwww!! Oh, Lord, please help me let my children change the trajectory of my grouchiest days!!