Perspective

OR: Things That Just Aren't That Big A Deal...

I have a good friend who asked for our New Years Resolutions for her blog. I never got back to her because A). part of me thinks those are useless, and B.) I don't make them. This year however one has been percolating around my consciousness, and sometimes, I'm just more conscious of it than others. Today is one of those days. The thought/resolution is this... I don't have much time before my children aren't little anymore, and I need to enjoy them. Time goes by so fast, and little babies are soon little kids, then little adults, then gone....

Part of that enjoying them stems from this; enjoying exactly who they are, who God sent me, not who I'd like them to be, how I'd like them to act, how I'd like to mold them...

Which means: Relax... Don't sweat the small stuff. Laugh more, teach the more important lessons, quit focusing on the outward, (what others expect my children's behavior to be like). Spend more time focusing on loving every little quirk, and foible.

So here it is... I officially quit. I quit telling my kids the following:

~Not to say butt, because honestly, it's funny to hear a 3 year old say butt, and poop for that matter. Especially when you ask "what do you want to eat?" And the response is "poop!"
~Not to spit (except inside, on the carpet), or gargle their juice/milk, or blow bubbles with straws. (And I hope that when their teachers ask them if they do that at home... you get the idea.)
~Not to roll in the muddy puddles, (I've been blessed with a washer and dryer and an enormous amount of clothes. It's really not that big a deal.)
~Not to throw toys down the stairs.
~Not to jump on the bed, off the couch, off the stairs, etc.
~Not to run in the grocery store. (mainly because I resolve to get a babysitter for grocery store visits from now on.)
~Lastly, I quit feeling the need to apologise for my children's behavior...they are after all children. Mine. But not me. (And with the exception of saying butt, I generally don't do any of the above...)

I will be more diligent about teaching these MORE IMPORTANT LESSONS:
~That I love them for exactly who they came to me as.
~Careful consideration of their siblings.
~Kindness and empathy.
~Be polite.
~How to work hard, how to play hard for that matter.
~To love God.
~To trust themselves, their family, and mostly their parents.

So there it is. Perspective...mine...

P.S. This also means that I'm not cutting my boys hair anymore either. Unless they ask.