As a mom, there are stages my kids go through that make me think, "O.M.G(oodness)!! Will this EVER END?!?" It seems like some of the most frustrating parenting moments happen on a daily basis and while you're in the midst of it, it feels like it's been happening for years and like it will never end. Well today, I'm here to encourage you and remind you that eventually.......it WILL end! Here are some of the stages I thought my kids would be stuck in for-EV-er!
*not sleeping through the night--although it lasted a looooooong time for Tommy and made me feel like at times that I was going to absolutely lose. My. SHIT, I'm happy to report that both of my children now sleep from 9pm to 7:30am WITHOUT WAKING UP! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end!
*being scared of spiders/bugs--Tessa had a very real fear of spiders for several months and at the mere mention of the word or if she saw a fuzzball that she thought looked spiderish, it would lead to a severe melt down that took us talking her off the ledge for an hour before she stopped crying. I cringed every time we saw a moving creature because I knew what would come. A few days ago, I saw a spider and she walked over to it, stomped on it and said, "I get it, Mommy!" Hang in there, mama! It WILL end!
*temper tantrums--for a few weeks, I truly thought Tommy was possessed by a demon. Okay, not really, but an angry three year old takes on a VERY demon-like attitude when they don't get what they want. We had several days a week where he would hit, scratch, yell, cry for 15 minutes......okay, we're not COMPLETELY out of this stage yet, but it's MUCH less often! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end!
*being a cling-on--for about a year, I felt like I constantly had a growth of some sort on my body. A Tommy tumor on my leg, a Tessa tumor on my hip. You know, where your kid has to be CONSTANTLY held and you feel like you might as well glue them to you so you don't trip over them every time you turn around or break your arms trying to hold them for hours because they want to be ON you all. The. TIME. Lately, my kids have started playing together in the other room or finding things to do on their own. Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*changing dirty pee-pants--Although it only took about a week for Tommy to be potty trained completely, those were the longest 7 days of my life (and a few accidents after that week added to it). There were moments where I thought, "If I have to clean up his dirty pee-pants ONE MORE TIME........." I never finished the sentence out loud :) He now very rarely has an accident! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*picking their noses--Tommy and Tessa went through a phase where their fingers were CONSTANTLY in their noses. Disgusting. SO gross. I told them they were yucky, they wouldn't have any friends and even stooped so low to say that if they picked their nose in my bed one more time, I would lay in their bed and wipe my boogers all over it. Now, Tommy usually asks for a tissue and Tessa.......well, we're working on it. Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*the crying--Oh, the crying. Sometimes it seems like that's all kids do. Especially before they can talk and can't just tell you what they want. Instead they CRY. About everything! Now that both of my kids can talk, the crying has been cut to a minimum. You know...it's just whenever they don't get what they want! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*the transportation issue--When children are small, it seems like you need a 12 passenger van and an entourage to fit all their junk in and to get anywhere. You have to take the huge car seat, a stroller, the big diaper bag with diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, toys, bottles, formula, etc. I am LOVING the stage of grabbing one diaper for Tess and running out the door. We keep both car seats installed and an umbrella stroller in the trunk and we're set! Both kids can buckle themselves in their car seats and we're out the door in two minutes or less! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*worrying about EVERYTHING--Although as a mom, we will always worry about our kids (ALWAYS), I no longer sweat the small stuff. For the first year of Tommy's life, I worried about every bump, bruise, cough, runny nose, watery eye, cold, red gum, rash, wheezy breath, etc. By his first birthday, I had diagnosed him with cancer, bronchitis, asthma, scabies, hand/foot/mouth, anemia and a few other things. Luckily, all he ACTUALLY had were asthma and an allergy to amoxicillin. Let's just say since his first year, I've relaxed a bit and Tessa hasn't been diagnosed with NEAR as many diseases as Tommy was ;) Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
I just wanted to write this to encourage moms (and to remind myself) that EVERY stage our kids go through, no matter what age or what they're doing, is temporary. They have to test their boundaries and learn new things. They go through it, figure life out along the way and then move on to something new. It's hard and challenging and sometimes annoying and disgusting, but the stages they go through are what mold them into the wonderful, crazy, hilarious, sweet, ornery, awesome little human beings they are. Good luck!! Hang in there, mama!!
*not sleeping through the night--although it lasted a looooooong time for Tommy and made me feel like at times that I was going to absolutely lose. My. SHIT, I'm happy to report that both of my children now sleep from 9pm to 7:30am WITHOUT WAKING UP! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end!
*being scared of spiders/bugs--Tessa had a very real fear of spiders for several months and at the mere mention of the word or if she saw a fuzzball that she thought looked spiderish, it would lead to a severe melt down that took us talking her off the ledge for an hour before she stopped crying. I cringed every time we saw a moving creature because I knew what would come. A few days ago, I saw a spider and she walked over to it, stomped on it and said, "I get it, Mommy!" Hang in there, mama! It WILL end!
*temper tantrums--for a few weeks, I truly thought Tommy was possessed by a demon. Okay, not really, but an angry three year old takes on a VERY demon-like attitude when they don't get what they want. We had several days a week where he would hit, scratch, yell, cry for 15 minutes......okay, we're not COMPLETELY out of this stage yet, but it's MUCH less often! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end!
*being a cling-on--for about a year, I felt like I constantly had a growth of some sort on my body. A Tommy tumor on my leg, a Tessa tumor on my hip. You know, where your kid has to be CONSTANTLY held and you feel like you might as well glue them to you so you don't trip over them every time you turn around or break your arms trying to hold them for hours because they want to be ON you all. The. TIME. Lately, my kids have started playing together in the other room or finding things to do on their own. Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*changing dirty pee-pants--Although it only took about a week for Tommy to be potty trained completely, those were the longest 7 days of my life (and a few accidents after that week added to it). There were moments where I thought, "If I have to clean up his dirty pee-pants ONE MORE TIME........." I never finished the sentence out loud :) He now very rarely has an accident! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*picking their noses--Tommy and Tessa went through a phase where their fingers were CONSTANTLY in their noses. Disgusting. SO gross. I told them they were yucky, they wouldn't have any friends and even stooped so low to say that if they picked their nose in my bed one more time, I would lay in their bed and wipe my boogers all over it. Now, Tommy usually asks for a tissue and Tessa.......well, we're working on it. Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*the crying--Oh, the crying. Sometimes it seems like that's all kids do. Especially before they can talk and can't just tell you what they want. Instead they CRY. About everything! Now that both of my kids can talk, the crying has been cut to a minimum. You know...it's just whenever they don't get what they want! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*the transportation issue--When children are small, it seems like you need a 12 passenger van and an entourage to fit all their junk in and to get anywhere. You have to take the huge car seat, a stroller, the big diaper bag with diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, toys, bottles, formula, etc. I am LOVING the stage of grabbing one diaper for Tess and running out the door. We keep both car seats installed and an umbrella stroller in the trunk and we're set! Both kids can buckle themselves in their car seats and we're out the door in two minutes or less! Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
*worrying about EVERYTHING--Although as a mom, we will always worry about our kids (ALWAYS), I no longer sweat the small stuff. For the first year of Tommy's life, I worried about every bump, bruise, cough, runny nose, watery eye, cold, red gum, rash, wheezy breath, etc. By his first birthday, I had diagnosed him with cancer, bronchitis, asthma, scabies, hand/foot/mouth, anemia and a few other things. Luckily, all he ACTUALLY had were asthma and an allergy to amoxicillin. Let's just say since his first year, I've relaxed a bit and Tessa hasn't been diagnosed with NEAR as many diseases as Tommy was ;) Hang in there, mama! It WILL end.
I just wanted to write this to encourage moms (and to remind myself) that EVERY stage our kids go through, no matter what age or what they're doing, is temporary. They have to test their boundaries and learn new things. They go through it, figure life out along the way and then move on to something new. It's hard and challenging and sometimes annoying and disgusting, but the stages they go through are what mold them into the wonderful, crazy, hilarious, sweet, ornery, awesome little human beings they are. Good luck!! Hang in there, mama!!
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