The Domino Effect: Parenting

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Parenthood:

Sometimes parenting feels a bit like a game of dominos. It’s my job to prevent any motion that would set off the chain reaction of falling. But fall they may in a messy, uncontrolled manner , resulting in a mangled heap of chaos. There is always something to be done in the house. Meals need making, baths given, and there is always something that needs a good wash, always. I only have two children but at times they are like wild little hurricanes swirling simultaneously.

As the Dominos Fall:

In the evenings the children usually retreat to the great outdoors with their papa while I just try to catch up….on everything. This evening was no different, the 5:00 scene was playing out in perfect fashion, until it wasn’t. In my typical stride I was mulit-tasking making dinner, and doing the odd chore within range of the stove. The kids’ dinner and our Tuscan soup were well underway on the stove top. Rose came bolting in the house on a trajectory to the lou. She usually demands privacy and carelessly slams the door. But tonight she demanded my presence ,potty side el pronto! Addressing my mental checklist, I tossed the cubed potatoes into the boiling water leaving my post unmanned.

Parenting is like a game of Dominos:

Dominio One: by the time I reach Rose she is splashing happily in a puddle of her own making. Every newly cleaned surface in that bathroom was now dripping in pee. A quick glance at the unruly caldron that was our dinner and I am off to find the Pine Sol and towels. At that moment I didn’t see that the gas had been snuffed out by the overflow. I return in haste to the pool of pee. In an attempt to make this quick I reach for the Pine Sol only to knock over the entire bottle onto the floor. The floor has become a murky pond of urine, and cleaning solution. I attempted to reach for the towels but they were forgotten upstairs. Domino two.

Parenting is full of blessings:

Meanwhile, upstairs for more towels, and freshly laundered clothes. Finally, Rose is clean and at play in the living room. Meanwhile my husband returns from the great outdoors and realizes that domino three has been played in the disarray. Our entire house was filled with gas fumes and in the craze I didn’t even notice the smell..The pilot light never went out even though the flame was extinguished by soup. Windows and doors open, fans on, EVERYBODY OUT!

Although, each domino was cumbersome and frustrating, a sense of gratitude flooded my heart. We were fortunate that we discovered the gas leak and more importantly that our whole family was kept safe. God was watching over my chaos and he knew my schedule needed to be interrupted. We had an unexpected picnic on the back patio. An unseasonal rain and peace fell outside just like the dominos that fell inside. When the bees sting find the honey.

Parenting has taught me how to practice gratitude on a daily basis. Experiences like this happen all the time in parenting but allowing ourselves the time to record the joy within the chaos is what makes it all worth it. I recommend a simple one like this from Amazon.

-Patience