My four-year-old burst out of his room, his shirt splattered with toothpaste and his sneakers mismatched. My youngest was hot on his heels, hair damp and shirt askew.
“What just happened?” I asked the older one, feeling a knot form in my stomach as we were already running behind schedule. “What did you do?” I pressed, irritation creeping into my voice.
Completely unaware of my frustration, my four-year-old gleefully replied, “I went potty, I got dressed, and I brushed my teeth!” He was bouncing with joy.
He had dressed himself, brushed his teeth, and taken care of his bathroom needs—all without my guidance. This was exactly what I had been encouraging him to do for as long as I could remember. In fact, this was a fantastic achievement!
Breathe, Lisa. Just breathe. (No, I don’t own a dog; I was reminding myself.) I realized I needed to calm down, and fast. I recalled a post from a friend that resonated with me: “My daughter, Lucy, came running up all excited, only to break a brand-new crayon in half. I asked her why she did that, and her wide-eyed expression turned into tears as she sobbed, ‘I just wanted to show you how strong I am!’”
Lucy’s crayon incident was a gentle reminder. My son wasn’t trying to make us late; he was attempting to be independent. He had even styled his little brother’s hair, hence the wetness.
I took a deep breath, and the tension in my stomach began to dissipate. His shoes could easily be swapped out, and his shirt would inevitably get dirtier throughout the day. This was truly not a big deal—it was a great day!
In reality, we weren’t late because of him; we were late due to the chaos that comes with having three little ones. We were running behind because I hadn’t gotten everyone up early enough and had just finished packing lunches and filling water bottles. Sometimes, life just happens.
And speaking of things happening, my toddler squatted down, his face reddening as he grunted. Now we were definitely late!
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In summary, a simple crayon break taught me that parenting requires patience and the ability to see the joy in small victories. Instead of focusing on the chaos, I chose to celebrate my child’s accomplishments, reminding myself that sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and that’s perfectly okay.