Do Overs
Thomas, contrary to what he thinks, is NOT ready to be done with naps. The last two (sleepless) days have proven my stance on the matter.
Which leads me to my next point: I sometimes wish life had a do-over option.
I wish I could take back my short tempered moments today. The time I told Thomas what he was doing was not funny, it was annoying. The time I told Henry to quit hugging his sister (especially since she immediately reached for him when he pulled away). The blasts and shouts and failures to take a deep breath and offer a second chance.
I wish I'd stopped to look at their little faces more today and realize that the behavior, while it was driving me crazy at times, was not critical to their long-term development. I didn't let the cute moments break through the tension in my own mind, and I know I missed some golden memories.
Now that they're all down for the night (yes, it's early--like I said, it's been a long afternoon!), I'm trying to focus on the good moments today and recall some of our best times in the past few days. We've laughed until our sides hurt. We've driven down hilly back roads and squealed and giggled (no one more than Cora!). We've wrestled and snuggled and had the sweetest and best conversations. Those moments I would freeze in time if I could. I guess that's the delicate dance of parenting. I hope the lasting memories are true to our daily lives, but not tainted with regret. Tomorrow will be a better day, whether the behavior is different or not. And there had better be a nap in store for a certain middle son of mine...
Which leads me to my next point: I sometimes wish life had a do-over option.
I wish I could take back my short tempered moments today. The time I told Thomas what he was doing was not funny, it was annoying. The time I told Henry to quit hugging his sister (especially since she immediately reached for him when he pulled away). The blasts and shouts and failures to take a deep breath and offer a second chance.
I wish I'd stopped to look at their little faces more today and realize that the behavior, while it was driving me crazy at times, was not critical to their long-term development. I didn't let the cute moments break through the tension in my own mind, and I know I missed some golden memories.
Now that they're all down for the night (yes, it's early--like I said, it's been a long afternoon!), I'm trying to focus on the good moments today and recall some of our best times in the past few days. We've laughed until our sides hurt. We've driven down hilly back roads and squealed and giggled (no one more than Cora!). We've wrestled and snuggled and had the sweetest and best conversations. Those moments I would freeze in time if I could. I guess that's the delicate dance of parenting. I hope the lasting memories are true to our daily lives, but not tainted with regret. Tomorrow will be a better day, whether the behavior is different or not. And there had better be a nap in store for a certain middle son of mine...
