It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that parenthood isn’t always bliss. It’s not always full of snuggles and giggles. I’m left to believe that even the most laid-back of babes can’t be an angel all the time. For the first year plus some months I thought I had one of those angel children. Now that we’ve entered the Toddler Zone, I know we’ve entered real life. This toddler stuff is what parenting kids is really about. Parenting a toddler is an exercise in patience and perseverance. It’s about making it out alive, with most of your hair. {Disclosure: I understand I’ve got more experiences coming that I can’t even fathom.}
I don’t mean to sound like I don’t have a super toddler. He really is more awesome than a mess of a little person. I just believe in being real about the experience. For example, yesterday morning I went in to get my favorite little guy. He was already awake so I was excited to see how he was going to start the day. {You can’t ever predict!} As I walked into his room he was standing at the corner of his crib holding his blanket. He looked up at me and his face crumbled. It literally fell. Tears and sobs immediately followed. I said good morning to him and turned on his light. He fell to the crib bottom and put his head on his blanket, continuing to sob. As I pulled out his clothes, he looked up at me. I tried talking to him again. He lifted his hands in question and said, “ere’s dada?” {Where’s dada?} I smiled at him and said, “you want daddy?” He perked right up and started standing while enthusiastically saying, “yah.” He let me pick him up and snuggled in for a hug. I can only assume it was to thank me for taking him to his daddy. Or maybe part of it was because he was secretly happy to see me. I just wasn’t part of his morning plan that day.
Instead of being heartbroken, I was thankful that Bryan was still home. He took over and got Maximus dressed. When they came back into the kitchen Maximus seemed happy to see me. I grabbed his favorite cereal bar and tried to take him. He wasn’t ready to part with his daddy so Bryan had to continue with the breakfast routine. Unfortunately, Bryan also had to sneak out of the house a few minutes later. As he was walking out the door he said, “I wish I could say good-bye to him. I hate sneaking out.” I guess it’s hard on both of us, not just the one who he cries at when he sees.
Every day, every hour, every minute is a new experience when you’re dealing with a toddler. Some mornings {most lately} are full of tears and stiff bodies. Other mornings are full of fun “conversations” and snuggles. While I’d still consider him a great toddler who has far more happy days than sad, he’s giving us a run for the money and trying our patience and strength on a daily basis.
Parenthood, man!
