Victories in Mommyland
Have you ever been in a “ great Mom moment” when it dawns on you, this is the day you’ve been waiting for all this time? This is the behavior that you’ve been working on, or the reaction you’ve been teaching, or just the “I can do it myself” moment you’ve been hoping for?
It happened to me the other day. In fact, it seems like I’ve had a few days of those great moments, and I just wanted to take a moment to share them. Sometimes the littlest things can make it seem like mountains are moving in Mommyland!
So I got ready to leave the house with my kids the other day, and I still think of them as toddlers who need their hands held just to walk from the house to the car. They are now are 4 and 5, though, and we’ve just moved to a house with an attached garage. (My dream!) I walked out of the house, my daughter following a few paces behind, occupied by her own thoughts, and the door closed behind her as I hit the button to open the van doors. I climbed in the front seat. No longer do I need to help her climb into the van, or into her carseat, or even wait to seat belt her in, because she’s in a booster seat and can do it herself. Instead I just climbed in my seat and waited.
Pretty soon my son came barging through the door yelling “wait for me!” He climbed in the van—no longer do I need to help him climb into the van, or into his carseat, or even wait to seat belt him in, because he’s in a booster and will throw a conniption fit if I even try to help.
So they both did their own seat belts, and I closed the doors (with a push of a button), and off we went. It was while I was pulling out of the driveway that I realized: I HAVE KIDS THAT ARE BECOMING SELF-SUFFICIENT.
Granted, they can’t cook dinner, although they get their own plates out. They can’t reach the washing machine, although they do put away their own clothes. And they haven’t mastered paying bills yet, though they drop their envelopes in the collection basket at church on Sunday.
if you had asked me the other day in the van, I’d say I succeeded in surviving parenting toddlers. Of course, that only lasted about a day, until I picked up my son from preschool and he burst into tears because he couldn’t take home his pinecone art project yet. Apparently I still have small children, but at least they can buckle themselves in!
So what are your parenting victories? Small or big, let’s share them and celebrate together!
Editor’s note: Don’t forget that we share small successes on Thursdays too!
Copyright 2013 Courtney Vallejo
