My little monkey-girl climbs up on the couch, sprawls across my lap interrupting whatever I am doing, and assumes her nursing position.
She won't keep a shirt on. And I am gentle and I let her run around the house without one until I can catch her.
But some days I don't want to be gentle. I need to be firm. I am In Charge. And [feel like I] am always barking orders at the bigs and letting the littles get away with everything.
Hard - soft - Hard - soft - Hard - soft
I sometimes forget which role I am, the love? Or the correct? The love-ing corrector. Or the steel-shelled love-r.
It's hard to put on and take off in time. I love, always love. But the outside repels the bullets and arrows.
Sometimes they poke through my armour.
With love,
Stephanie- Adventures In Babywearing
25 comments:
Thank you, Amy, for allowing me in your blog home to share my heart today.
Love,
Steph
I feel this too, Steph. Having oh, so much love and at the same time, wanting to train, teach and guide. Sometimes that guiding takes a little firm and it breaks me. But I know it's good.
Thank you for sharing.
Don't I know it. All too well.
that's exactly right!!! thanks so much for sharing.
I can barely keep shirts on the really big and the little.
In my for walls? It's not worth the fight, plus it's so much easier to administer raspberries.
"Barking orders at the bigs and letting the littles get away with everything" - Yep, pretty much.
Oh Steph, I feel it.
The hard-soft rhythm of Mothering.
The race, the slow-paces journey and the aching steps to steer them in the right direction.
The only thing that has ever changed the world is love.
And I believe we do.
I beleive that an essential part of loving our children is to teach them to make sound decisions. Correction is necessary so that they can think critically. They will always love you if you do.
Great post! Sometimes I do feel sorry for the older ones who take the heat for the younger ones. It happens in a lot of families. No one said it was easy.
Love This!
That role we all balance between every day
I know what you mean. It seems like I let The Chicken get away with more than her sister ever did and there is only 3 years between them.
It's so hard to keep the balance... to remember that you're the mom in the situation - but not to let that go to ones head :)
This was lovely.
I understand that feeling, and I only have one. I can't imagine how much it will magnify when the Bug is born.
Oh so true. I feel I'm often explaining to my oldest how "lucky" she was to be firstborn b/c she didn't have to share everything with a big sister like her little sis does. Of course, that's how I justify letting the little get away with a little more than her big gets away with.... sigh.
Oh yes, the constant push and pull. The balance I'm never sure I'm achieving. That is why, for me at least, as they get older I think they get harder. My words and actions must be so much more thought out and intentional, not just the instinctual love of meeting baby's needs.
I struggle with this too. And always wonder if I am doing things right.
The push-pull of mothering. It's so difficult to know when to show grace and when to enforce standards.
I feel this in my heart, Steph.
What a sweet babygirl. I was so unforgiving to my parents...until I had children. WOW! It is so hard to always be "on".
I struggle to find balance so often.
I feel like I could have written this post. Jackson won't ever keep his shirts on either. ;-)
I know that feeling...something that has been tugging at me a lot lately!
I am just starting to correct Jude for little things and it's a lot harder than I'd thought. I don't want him to cry or pout or feel confused about why mommy is saying no. But I also don't want to wake up and find a bratty and willfully disobedient child. *sigh* oh the joys of motherhood.
Yes, indeed. I know this feeling. You and I are so alike, Steph.
yes, it is quite the balance. my goodness, i feel it.
Ugh.. this balance tugs at my heart daily. In fact... I have found myself scolding the oldest for not watching the youngest, how totally unfair is that? This last year has been one of growth and transistion, and even mom is still learning. All I can hope is that love can cover the mistake that even mom makes.
Isn't that just the truth? Completely the rhythm of my days, too.
Such lovely words to express it.
Post a Comment