This week I was chatting w/ a friend of mine who’s little boys are basically the same ages as mine. It’s so great to connect with mommies who are going through the same life stages, it helps buoy a sinking spirit at times to know that someone else is going through it too, and you’ll both come out alright in the end! Thanks Mirm! I’m going to be calling you MORE because I need that encouragement! Anyway, as I was sharing some of my most recent challenges with Qade, she reminded me of a post that I had written a while back, almost a year ago titled “Becoming a “Yes” Mommy in a “No-No” World“. It was such a good reminder for me. (I should re-read my own words more often!) Lately I’ve felt that all I do is argue and fight with Qade from dawn till dusk, or later, and it does drag me down. There are things that I cannot budge on, and Qade simply does need to learn to submit to his authority. Those battles are important and have to be fought. Others though, are probably things that I’m putting too much weight on, and I need to let those go.
For example, today w/ potty training we did basically nothing. It has turned into a horrible thing in our house that neither Qade or I am enjoying. I don’t really care if he “enjoys” it, but I do care that it has become a battle that I have to fight every hour of every day. My patience wears way out, and his behavior digresses drastically. Is it worth it? Do I keep doing this to both of us for the sake of having a child potty trained at 2 and a half? The answer is pretty obviously NO! So today was a break. I reminded him to tell me if he needed to potty, but I did NOT take him. I resigned myself to the fact that he would be wet and dirty pretty much all day, and that is what happened. He didn’t tell me, didn’t care when he was a “mess” and I think both of us were happier for not “dealing” with it all day. (Okay that sounds bad… he did get changed, but we just didn’t go “potty” every hour like usual, don’t want you to think he sat in nasty pants all day. Ha!) Tomorrow, because of church, will be much the same. Monday will be a fresh start with a new twist. Sticker Charts!!! Woo-Hoo!! However I’ve already decided that if this doesn’t work, and we have the same issues we’ve been having, I will put away every “potty” reminder, including the cool Cars unders and get some diapers. Potty training is certainly not the hill that I’m willing to die on. And with all the other important battles that have to be fought each day, this one seems much much less urgent. 🙂
So there you go… my Saturday in a nut shell. 😉 Not really, but it’s what I’ve been thinking about quite a bit. Hope you are all having a swell weekend! Pray for my lads if you think of it. They both have sniffles, and Myles is coughing a bit. Thanks!