Dear Diary,
Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, November (something) 2016
What to Expect When You’re Expecting said nothing about this!! Last month it was turn a pumpkin into a horse’s head (literary pumpkin decorating), this month its turn a cake into Saturn (Boy Scout Bake-Off), lol! Talk about asking for the moon! So last night we got to work…and right when we were covered in sticky rice krispies & frosting the youngest came running in blood everywhere from a bloody nose, “I might be dying” she sobbed, phone rang, darn dog took off with marshmallows, 5th grader was yelling for a charger because the iPad was dying and with it, our 3rd grader’s dream of having a Saturn cake. His immediate reaction was denial, quickly followed by doors slamming, then some crazy ideas on how we could make a ring….”mom I just want to put a ring on it!”….”you & all the single ladies, son”, lol! Then the water works, finally followed by acceptance, yep, we went through all 5 stages of grief in that one exhausting hour. And here is the big reveal of his Boy Scout Bake-Off Saturn Cake……
Our 3rd grader grew a lot last night, he learned that sometimes you shoot for Saturn and land on the moon…a.k.a. life is 2% what happens to you and 98% how you react. He still isn’t necessarily over the moon (see what I did there? ;)) Could I have rushed out at 10pm with all 3 kiddos in tow to get more marshmallows? Sure, but the authorities might have been called in on account of all the blood all over my youngest face, clothes, etc. 3rd grader’s red eyes, and puffy face from crying, and my 5th grader yelling about what a horrible mom I was because I let it die (the iPad)…yep, that scenario would not have ended well for me and what would my son have learned, that mom will always fix “it”? Instead he received a good lesson in resilience, coping when things don’t go your way, and persevering…all valuable life skills that should be learned at a young age. Was it easy to watch him go through this experience, not particularly, but life wasn’t meant to always be easy, nor was parenting. It is so important that we don’t promise them the moon when they are kids. That we allow them to make their own mistakes and learn how to react appropriately when life happens….and you might just be surprised how far they will go if you let them grow. They might shoot for the moon and far exceed their own expectations and end up orbiting Saturn and it’s gosh darn ring system! 😉
I love how multifaceted parenting becomes with each passing year. Coffee cheers to choosing joy, to seeing the humor in otherwise stressful situations, accepting all life’s challenges, allowing our children the opportunity to grow when life happens & loving our kiddos to the moon and back!
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 