Tuesday, January 19, 2016

I Won't Miss That!

I find it awfully amusing when older moms, sometimes grandmas, tell me that I will miss when my kids throw tantrums and make messes.  I know I'm a recent mom, and yes, I've only been at this gig for less than 5 years, and yes, I only have three kids, but I can't fathom why I'd miss the tantrum or the mess.

As my day to day activities include picking up toys, sweeping crumbs, mopping the floor, and slowly watching my kids torturously pick up or put clothes away (because I'm trying to train them, not just do it for them which let's be honest, would be so much quicker!), that's all I think about.  Fools!  I think outloud.  Those moms are out of their minds.  I won't miss the mess!

I won't miss the four loads of dishes, unloading and loading and re-loading, the on my hands and knees Cinderella scrubbing, or the piss everywhere from night time pee trips from my four year old!  I also won't miss the unbearable tantrums, the ones you can do absolutely nothing but let it ride through, nor will I miss the nice strangers who try to help me as I'm trying to teach my kid a lesson by ignoring and not giving in to his tantrums.  Nope, none of that is noteworthy.  None of it is something I will miss!!

Even looking back at my babies, which were all quite recent, I have not ever missed the spit up, the blowouts, or the sleep deprivation.  I miss the tiny baby cuddling, the coo-ing, the a-ha moments you see the baby figure out, the squeals of laughter at simple things, the amazement at boxes and everything else mundane to me around their new world of delight.

As for where I am now.. I know what I will miss. I'll miss their sweet cuddles, funny kid-isms, reading with them (cuz they'll figure that out eventually and then I'm out of the equation), watching Dags try to communicate with little grunts and finger pointing, the boys' (and sometimes Dagny's) excitement over screen time, Jordan the angel who will do anything if there's an upcoming playdate, and the boys obsession with pizza, Star Wars, the toy store, the mall, buffets, etc. (who knows what it'll be in five years...).  That's probably why I sleep in bed with my boys every night as they fall asleep.  I know it's not a great habit and it's sucky when I want to accomplish stuff at night, but I secretly love it and this is the kind of stuff I will miss.  I know it's not forever, just like the mess won't be forever, but when the mess is gone.. I won't miss that.  I will miss the sweetness of lying in bed next to your two toddler boys as they fall asleep and murmur "I love you Mommy."  Sloppy kisses, lazy lounging, cheesy smiles, and infinite outpouring and over expressions of love.  That's what I'll miss.

sweet Bubba's funny smile everytime I say, "Let's take a photo!" now...
sweet Dags, she loves the kisses! Bubba in the mix on the side...
Jordan and me taking a break from ice skating, my sweet boy is the best older brother and his eyes look really slanty in this photo hahaha selfie angle gone astray...



1 comment:

Babe said...

I am an older mom. My kids are either adults or teens. I completely agree with you. I don't miss the messes or tantrums. I have no idea what those other people are talking about. The only way I could see what they are saying. They only way I would agree with them is in the passing of a child. Had I lost a child, I would definately miss the messes and problems.
Our family friend just lost their youngest today. I'm sure they will miss his messes and other issues. I'm sure they would love to have those messes and tantrums back. I've seen some of those. All those aside, he was a sweetheart too. Kind, loving and thoughtful. But he could be a pill too.