Being a mama is hard sometimes. It seems especially hard when the dada is working what seems like ALL. THE. TIME. With dada gone mama feels like a single parent and starts to wear thin. But, I must remember my mantra! I am a gentle mama...I won't ever hit Aiden and I don't really like traditional timeouts (but have used them a few times). I won't let him cry it out EVER. PERIOD. Discipline and child rearing in our house are about setting up our kids for success and helping them through situations with instructions and grace. That said....while I give lots of grace to Aiden, I do loose my patience sometimes. That sometimes, lately, has seemed like every night around bedtime.
With Tom gone Aiden I chum around all day together. I love it. He's growing into my little companion. We play with toys and read books and today as I was cleaning the bathroom my sweet little Aiden picked up a rag and was wiping the wall. It was so sweet. But, Aiden is a spirited child and still needs lots of redirection....like telling him for 4 times in 5 minutes not to use his hammer on the glass cupboard door.
So, by the end of the day, I'm tired and my mama patience is running thin. Aiden is very high needs at night and I admit that more than once I've gotten frustrated and used a not nice mommy voice and acted very put off and angry. I'm ashamed, really. I'm 27 and I know better than that.
So, really, this post is a confession. I really need to do better at night. Even though sometimes getting that kid to sleep is like wrestling an octupus (for an hour!), I need to take a breath, remember that the fruit of the spirit is gentleness and self control, pray for strength, and do better. It seems like Aiden is so much older than he really is sometimes because he was such an early walker and talker, but he is really still a baby. He needs lots of help at night and deserves a more gentle mama. Lord, help me to respond to Aiden how you would. Help me to give grace to him as consistently as you give grace to me. Please forgive me and continue to show me how to create an environment where Aiden's heart can grow tender to you.
With Tom gone Aiden I chum around all day together. I love it. He's growing into my little companion. We play with toys and read books and today as I was cleaning the bathroom my sweet little Aiden picked up a rag and was wiping the wall. It was so sweet. But, Aiden is a spirited child and still needs lots of redirection....like telling him for 4 times in 5 minutes not to use his hammer on the glass cupboard door.
So, by the end of the day, I'm tired and my mama patience is running thin. Aiden is very high needs at night and I admit that more than once I've gotten frustrated and used a not nice mommy voice and acted very put off and angry. I'm ashamed, really. I'm 27 and I know better than that.
So, really, this post is a confession. I really need to do better at night. Even though sometimes getting that kid to sleep is like wrestling an octupus (for an hour!), I need to take a breath, remember that the fruit of the spirit is gentleness and self control, pray for strength, and do better. It seems like Aiden is so much older than he really is sometimes because he was such an early walker and talker, but he is really still a baby. He needs lots of help at night and deserves a more gentle mama. Lord, help me to respond to Aiden how you would. Help me to give grace to him as consistently as you give grace to me. Please forgive me and continue to show me how to create an environment where Aiden's heart can grow tender to you.
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