The little years

The Little Years are tough. You know, the years when your kids need you CONSTANTLY? Yeah, it's tough. "Mommy, I'm hungry." , "I need to go potty, mommy.", "Mommy, will you play with me?" "PLEEEEAAAASSSEE, Mommy?"

Some days, it's all I can do to keep from turning on the Disney Channel for them, locking myself in my room, and hiding until Josh gets home from work. But why? They aren't doing anything wrong. They're just being kids. Who God intended them to be. I CHOSE to stay home with them so I could be a part of their every day and not miss a thing, not so I could spend my days counting the hours until bed time. (Come on, you know we've all done that!)

Here's my confession of the day. Sometimes I totally lose it with my kids when they haven't even really done anything terribly bad. It's just the culmination of two kids whining or fighting, + the kitchen timer screaming at me, + that darn dust ball on the living room floor that's been staring at me all day....you get the picture. So I lose it. And then I feel terrible. It's not the kids' fault that it hasn't rained in months, so there's dust everywhere. Or that I waited until the last minute to cook dinner, so I'm scrambling to get it done before everyone has a complete hunger meltdown, or that I'm 8 months pregnant. So they feel terrible about being yelled at by "mean mom", and I feel terrible for yelling at them. No one wins. This had been on my mind a lot, when lo and behold, I stumbled across this book a couple of weeks ago:

Let me tell you, this is a fantastic book for anyone who has little kids at home. It's written by a lady who has 5 kids 5 and under at home (yep, you read that right). And if she can love the little years, then surely I can too! I really think it has changed the way a respond to my kids on a daily basis. I'm trying harder to see things from THEIR point of view. Little girls who just want to be with me and help me--not be in my way and annoy me. Do I still get frustrated on a daily basis? Absolutely. But has this book helped me in the way I handle that frustration? Without a doubt.

God gave me these precious children to raise and teach. It's a HARD job, but one that I wouldn't give up in a million years. The Little Years are tough....together, God and I are tougher!

Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.