Parenting David, right now.

 

 

I'm going to be honest here. I don't always spend enough intentional time with my oldest. I always mean to, I always set out to, but then I get tired, distracted, flustered and it just doesn't happen. Eden gets my best self more often than he does. There are days when I feel like all I'm doing is trying to corral him, standing by defusing situation after situation and reminding him time and time again what not to do. Don't hit Poppy. Don't push your sister. Share your toys. Ask for help. One minute. David DON'T. It's exhausting. For me and for him. On those days I go to bed feeling defeated, guilty, knowing I didn't enjoy him enough.

It's been a frequent topic of discussion between Drex and I. David was only 21 months when Eden was born. Still very much a baby himself and suddenly thrown into the role of big brother. He's still learning to share (some days are better than others), and still learning how to appropriately handle all those emotions he's got. Parenting him right now is harder than it has been and it's so easy to get caught up in the not so awesome behaviors instead of celebrating the really great ones. So, one thing we've really been making a priority is very intentionally spending one on one time with him. This looks like taking him out without Eden, giving him our full undivided attention while Eden gets to spend one on one time with grandma and grandpa. It looks like spending Eden's morning nap sitting next to him, talking to him, laughing and joking and making silly faces. Playing with trains or blocks and not checking my phone constantly. It looks like speaking the good and reminding him how great he is. How kind and gentle and funny he is. The more I tell him those things, the more those behaviors occur.

This morning while Eden slept, he climbed up next to me and asked for a snack. I looked at him, sitting there on the barstool, wondering where the time has gone. I swear he was just born, just learning to sit, to walk, to talk. Now here he is talking in full sentences, telling me about chickens eating bugs, and how santa gave him a present. I grabbed the camera and I snapped a few pictures (and he let me, which is really a miracle in of itself). I want to remember these moments. Two is a hard age, and yet it's also magical and amazing. He's becoming his own person with his own thoughts and his own feelings, finding his independence more and more and there really is something incredible about that. Hard but incredible ;)