Parenting

It's only half way through the week, and we've already had a lot of incidences happen this week. First of all, Stephen and I have been trying to get Zander to stop biting, pinching, and scratching. So far we've had no luck and it's driving us insane and I mean to the point of tears most days. We are at wits end and have resorted to yelling at him, and that shouldn't be happening. Period. But what do we do?! So we're trying something new. He gets to go to time-out every time he bites or uses his nails in anyway to hurt someone. Instead of losing my tempter and yelling during the day I decided I'd try and sing a song instead; to calm myself down as well as engage Zander and calm him down as well. I guess it's working so far. I haven't had to stick him in time-out more than a few times a day, and over all we've just had better days since I haven't felt like yelling. I can't tell you how liberating it is not to have to yell. I hate it. It makes me feel really bad and guilty, and Zander couldn't care less; he just tunes it out anyway.

The other thing is trying to get him to calm down while changing his diaper. He hates it. He kicks and rolls, and screams, and when we try to hold him still he scratches at our hands until we let go. So again, we sing songs that we know he likes to do actions for, like "The Wheels on the Bus" or "Patty Cake" etc... usually it works. I didn't think we would be having problems like this and that they would drive us crazy. Parenting is hard; and it's hard in ways you wouldn't expect, but I love it. There's so much more good that comes out of raising children. We love the little runt!

I kept telling myself I would always have a clean house even when I had kids. I'd teach them to clean up their toys and do chores etc... so I wasn't having to do all the cleaning. That was wishful thinking! I need a vacuum in all rooms of the house because I usually end up having to vacuum at least three times a day--the dining room after meals, the living room after he sneaks to play in the plant and throw dirt all over as he's eating it, the stairs where he throws anything and everything including food, the bedrooms where he tracks dirt and garbage from the trash cans throughout the house; it's never ending. There are toys all over the floor upstairs and downstairs at all times. Even after I pick them up; when he gets up from his nap it's like he knows I just cleaned so he takes the whole box of toys and just dumps them out all over again as if saying, "I wasn't done with them Mom."

But then you have the really sweet, tender moments with them like last week Zander learned to give kisses and hugs when you ask him. The other day he said his first prayer all on his own. He folded his arms and jibber jabbered, then did his amen. It was SO cute! Or when I sneak a peak in his bedroom while he's playing and I watch him use his imagination as he plays with his toys. And when Stephen and I try to help him with something, but he pushes us away because he wants to try it on his own. Hearing him laugh.

We always have to take the good with the bad no matter what it is we are dealing with. I know that if we have good attitudes the bad doesn't always seem so bad, and you can usually turn it to something positive. I have the best job in the world; there isn't anything I'd trade it for. I am so thankful that I was entrusted by Heavenly Father to raise Zander and any other future children I may have.