Learning With One

Most days with my daughter, things go smoothly. I have been very blessed with her little personality. She's not much of a risk taker, and has responded fairly well to our discipline. She's laid back and easy going, and most of my days I haven't felt stressed.

However, one day last week was a very challenging day for me. It seemed I was reminding my 18 month old over and over of the same rules.....don't touch the trash can, keep your milk in the kitchen, keep this cabinet closed, do not close any door in the house, etc.....getting the picture? I felt much like a broken record that was not being heard.

And then there was the 45 minute nap. She woke up screaming from her teeth hurting (wonder why kids can't just have teeth come in all at once), and she never went back to bed after that. And did I mention that I was trying to put together a meal for a friend who just had her 2nd baby, which I had planned to do during her naptime (which was sabotaged by the teeth)?

My husband arrived home later than usual, and the look on my face revealed the day I'd had. As I started talking, I also started crying, and it was clear that I needed some time away - time to recharge the battery that seemed to be barely blinking. A little reading time at Starbucks in my bible was just what I needed. My huband took care of the responsibilities at home to give me some much needed breathing time.

A couple lessons learned from the day:

1. Don't choose every battle. I was definitely picking every battle, every little hint of disobedience, and it was exhausting and draining me of enjoyment of my daughter.

2. Focus on Five. A wise friend recommended I focus on five things that I really want to work on with my daughter. Five things that would require discipline if these five "rules" were broken. 5 things. Not 55 things.

3. Don't Lose Heart. Young children require constant training. It's similar to the idea of a marathon. Daily training, where you don't take it easy the next few days or week just because you had one really good workout. Kids forget, young children just don't know, and it's our job to help them.

4. Evaluate Expectations. Possibly, the Type A in me was expecting a bit much from my 18 month old. I want her to be obedient, but I need to set her up for success to do this.  Toddlers are curious, they learn from handling, touching, doing, dropping, opening, and closing, and I can't expect her to not do any of this.

In the midst of all of this, I am reminded to take a deep breath, open up my heart, and give even more love to my precious little girl who is looking to me for guidance. I'm reminded to be patient, to keep a "big picture" perspective, and to find some time for myself to be a better Mom to my daughter. Do you need to take some time for yourself and recharge for your family? How can you make this happen this week, or better, maybe even today?