Raising a little girl is sometimes trying, sometimes difficult, but it is always an adventure. It is sometimes easy to get caught in the stress of the moment. When they don't want to stop playing in the sink, don't want to get up out of the bed, or don't want to take medicine. Okay those are some of the battles that I have had in the past two weeks, and we won't talk about all of the little battles in between.
Things I have learned about my child and myself.
1 - She is headstrong. Goodness is she headstrong. She wants to do what "big children" do, and wants to be independent. She loves to add the water to her oatmeal, or help make dinner, or anything that is new and exciting to her. Sadly she often doesn't realize that she can't do everything that "big children" do, such as climbing the big rock climbing wall at festivals.
The struggle as a parent is at what point are you holding them back? If she wants to help with dinner I have to be sure that I am not preventing her from doing something that she can do. I will be honest, I am sure there are times that I am holding her back. I am not ready for my baby to grow up. However, I do have to teach her through her headstrong moments.
2 - She is watching every move. She watches and learns, both good and bad. She sees police and know they help people, she knows firefighters help people, but she also sees people do bad things.
I have to not only watch what I do and say but also what people around her say and do. I can't jump on her for doing something bad if I continue to let her see bad behaviors. If I let her watch shows with bad language then how can I punish her if she uses those same words. I pay attention to what is on tv, what I do, what I say, and try to keep her away from situations that will teach her "bad" things.
3 - She will test limits, which may seem like testing me. She is a toddler exploring the world, and she is wanting to know everything about everything. Where the plane is going, why it is raining, why this and why that. While this can be testing, she is also wanting to learn. She isn't asking to get on my nerves, she is asking to learn. How will she ever know if she doesn't ask or no one teaches her? However, when she goes past the limits and gets into trouble that is when it falls on me and her dad.
We just had an incident where she acted out at school, and we talked about her not doing something even if others are. My mom tried to be helpful by saying the other child may have influenced her. My response was that she has to be held accountable. I also stated that I am not raising her to be a follower, I am raising her to be a leader. If at three years old I let it go that she was the victim of the other child then at what point does she not become the victim of her actions.
4 - She is the best thing to ever happen to me. She makes my day better, and her cuddles take all of me worries away. If I go home in a bad mood she brightens it up. We never know what she is going to say or do. I honestly don't know what we did for entertainment before her. She is such a smart, beautiful, caring girl.
I have to continue to raise her to be strong, smart, and caring because I am not just raising a little girl I am raising an amazing woman. She will be able to hold her head high and accomplish goals that she has in life.
Sometimes being a mommy (or parent in general) is hard, but we can't focus on the battle of today. When Emma is throwing a fit, or wanting me to hold her all of the time, I often have to think to myself in a few years I will miss this. I will not be able to carry her forever, I will not be able to hold her forever. When I was pregnant my doctor told me not to worry as she said "you are pregnant today, so don't worry about tomorrow, today you are and that is all that matters". I have to take parenting the same way. Emma is 3 today, and I have to keep in mind that everyday she is changing. I can't get tomorrow back, I can't get cuddles from her like when she was a baby, but I can get cuddles and memories from today.
Take time to enjoy your child today. Your child may test you, but at the end of the day that child is growing, changing, and learning. Enjoy your child because you will never get today back.
