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| Me 13 months pregnant with baby #3 (2008) Our beautiful crib in the background! |
"The only constant is change"~ Heraclitus a 500BC, Greek philosopher
I am reminded of this fact over and over in parenting. Just when it seems I have "mastered" one aspect (or at least begun to maybe understand it a little) of parenting it seems that my children move forward in their development.
Yesterday was momentous in our house - this week with school ending it seems every day has been momentous - but yesterday we disassembled our crib. Our wonderful bundle of wood that held and protected each of my babies through their earliest days and nights. It has been a fixture in our home for 8 years.
It was a poignant reminder to me about how each stage of parenting seems overwhelming at the time you are going through it. New babies are a LOT of work, toddlers are an emotional roller coaster, preschoolers long for independence, and so forth. However, once you are past each stage there are days when you miss it - not the exhausting parts of the stage, but the perks that went with it - newborns snuggle, babies are loving, toddlers explore, preschoolers discover.
"This too shall pass" ~ this is probably the quote that runs through my brain the most often when I am feeling overwhelmed as a parent. But here is the secret - the pleasant and unpleasant stages will pass. My challenge to you today is to not let the joyful parts of each stage get lost in the sleepless nights and endless days.
What part of the parenting stage that you are in seems overwhelming right now?
What part of the parenting stage that you are in are you loving right now?
