A Reminder For Myself

Today we had one of those mornings:  the boys weren't interested in breakfast, and (my fault!) they weren't even dressed yet when we sat down to eat.  When I finally gave up on getting them to eat enough to get them through until snacktime, they didn't want to cooperate in getting dressed.  Jason is capable of getting himself fully undressed and dressed, but I had to keep reminding him (over and over and over) that he can't go to school unless he's dressed.  Jackson is certainly able to help get himself undressed and dressed, but today he was just maniacally laughing while I tried to get the job done.  On top of it, Jackson just stood on the porch watching while Jason and I got things settled into the van.  I was ready to just turn around and stay home for the day.

As we drove, I was able to remind myself that we can't expect more of people than they are able to provide.  Yes, I have aspirations, but when it comes right down to it, if I expect 2 and 3 year olds to be self motivated, focused, and follow along every single day, I am setting myself up for disappointment.  I have bad days (without a doubt).  What that tells me is that I need to spot a bad day for my boys as quickly as I can and just go with it- give them what they need so I can do what I need- and we will all have a less stressful existence.

This is how I try to respect my boys and their changing moods:  some days we will celebrate growing boys' milestones, and other days we will celebrate getting to school before the school day is over.