Kid Therapy

THEN...

I can't believe it. Theo is one today. YAY! I still have his birth announcement hanging on my desk and the side of my refrigerator. It seems like just a few months ago. He is climbing and talking, almost walking, and in every way a new little toddler. I feel sad when I think about the fact that I no longer have a baby in the house. I also worry that the easy part is over! It's easy to be an unattached adult. It's also easy to be the parent of a baby. But, parenting toddlers and adolescents, now there's a challenge for even the strongest among us. Add a few other children into the mix, and you have the making of an Olympic caliber endurance sport! Parenting older kids requires lots of love, and grace under pressure. Every day you will find yourself thrown into situations that require you to act (or react) calmly, quickly, and smartly. We rise to the challenge in order to teach our children how to manage their behavior and emotions. But, it's easier said than done. We have to manage our  behavior and emotions first. It's not enough to tell our kids what we want them to learn. We have to show them. We have to live as an example. Think about it. When things aren't going well, are we truly patient? Unselfish? Kind? Good listeners? Honest? Work well with others? Do our best? Well, if we didn't quite learn all of these things perfectly ourselves as kids, we get a second chance as parents! This is something I find to be really difficult, especially in times of stress. And it is what I like to call "Kid Therapy". It forces us to confront our weaknesses and shortcomings. Interacting with our kids when they're stressed, we get to practice how to handle ourselves. It's how parenthood teaches us to be better people, and how we grow into our roles as parents. So, as I look at my sweet new toddler Theo, and Mattie, Elliot and Jack, I'm thinking about our future years together, and all the lessons I'll help them learn, while I'm still learning along the way.

...AND NOW