This last week has been a little on the rough side for me, the mommy. Ava was her usually happy self until she woke up from her afternoon nap on Tuesday. She woke up on the wrong side of her crib and has firmly planted her little self there.
She's been in a just plain foul mood and now she's old enough to take it out on me. Wednesday she gave my my first command. I was changing her diaper and she grabbed my hand, shoved it away and said "NO!" with more authority in her voice than I use when I'm talking to her. Since then we've been dealing with some repeates of her forgetting who the mommy is. This is all making me reevaluate my preparedness to be a mother. Why don't these things come with instruction manuals perfectly customized for each child? I want one. I feel like I know the theories and spiritual principles of good parenting and have some of the common sense factor. But I don't know the practical day to day steps. The "When she does this, you do this" and "When she says this, you say that."
A book my friend Megan gave me that I have already read 3 times called the Mommy Book has helped some. The Mommy Book is just a collaboration of all these moms talking about everything relating to raising kids, games to play, caring for newborns, discipline, etc. Basucally they just say what they did with their kids, so we can learn from their mistakes and successes. It's brilliant to have all that mothering experiance wrapped up in one book so that I don't have to have raise children myself before I get it right. But I wish there was one just like it, only just totally on disciplining and teaching your kids. So if any of you guys have that perfect book I'm looking for, I'd appreciate the tip.
Meanwhile, I'll keep praying and trusting the Lord that He will give Tony and I the wisdom we need for each step of the way. That will probably, I mean, will be, more effective than even a customized manual for little Miss Ava Helene.
P.S. In order to be fair I do have to say that I think Ava's molars may be coming in and I'd be in a foul mood too if I have pieces of bone shoving themselves through my gums. And she's had intermittent super sweet moments, like she's trying to make up for all the screaming and kicking me when I pick her up and away from the toy she was playing with. Most notably crawling up to me while I was laying on the carpet of her bedroom (we'd been looking at her books on the floor together and I just closed my eyes while she kept looking at them) and put her face millimeters from mine and then leaned over to lay her cheek on mine for a few seconds. That makes up for a lot of kicking . . .
2 comments:
I'm betting it's the teeth. But, I also wanted to recommend another good book that helped us focus our parenting "style" and goals. It's Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. I highly recommend the study guide to go along; you get much more out of it with the guide (if you both do it, that is).
I TOTALLY remember when the twins were newborns and Rylee was turning 2 and my friend came over (who had older kids). Rylee would do something and I would just look at my friend and ask "okay, so what do I do?" That helps. You have my number. Please call it (if you'd want my thoughts). :-)
I love the mommybook. I didn't know anyone else had it. It was given to us in a stack of handmedown clothes for Simon and it brought me sanity and good ideas!
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