"From the
pictures you send it looks like you have a great time together."
That sweet sentence was typed by my grandma. My grandma who
usually only sends forwards, and has maybe composed 3 total emails to me. She
truly meant what she said, but I felt instant conviction the moment I read it.
Whether it's sending pictures to grandparents, or posting on some form of
social media, wouldn't you agree that we all would rather paint this perfect
picture of our lives. And, as one of my friends used to say, we have to get all
the good pictures, so we can look back when our kiddos are older and show them
what a fun childhood they had!
But I'm going
to be real with you friends. This season of life has been tough. Miss P is a
rule follower and such a good kiddo, but she's 2. 2-year olds push boundaries.
2-year olds love to eat something one day and are shocked that you would even
offer it the next. 2-year olds create the same messes 5 times a day, and if you
want a tidy house, you either have them help you clean up, or clean
it up yourself over and over and over again. Potty training 2-year olds have a
lot of laundry. They will go for months without any accidents, and then poop in
their wet one-piece bathing suit that you now have to peel off of them. They
want snuggles. They want down. They want you to hold their hand. They
want independence. A frequent saying in our house lately is, "You
have to let your yes be yes and your no be no P. We're not going to keep going
back and forth." And you want to know when my favorite time of day is? Nap
time. God bless nap time. That block for 1 to 3 hours where I can just be. I
can do whatever I want. This time is sacred for me, and I do my best to not
have it taken up with other people's needs, because I'm 33 weeks pregnant, and
if the one outside of the womb isn't needing something, the one inside of the womb
is kicking me. Life is good, and I am truly grateful to God for the life I have
been given, but I'm not perfect, and it's not perfect. I lose my cool. I cry
(currently blaming it on hormones). I'm mean to my husband for no good reason
and dinner sometimes is Diogiorno pizza.
So, in an effort to not be part of the comparison, Pinterest perfect, social media ideal life, I want all of you to know that my life is far from perfect. I am far from perfect. My 2-year old acts like a 2-year old. She ran into a parking lot, not once, but twice in the past week. Have you seen a 33 week pregnant lady run to catch a 2-year old? Not pretty. I spanked her booty in public. People stared. I'd rather have a kiddo with a sore booty than at the morgue because they were ran over by a car. I am trying to do the best I can. You are trying to do the best you can. We are all in this life thing together. Let's support one another. Let's be each other's cheerleaders. Let's all be imperfect together! And, if you need more evidence that you're not alone, go to Pinterest and type "toddler meme." I'm laughing so hard right now. They are all so true.
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