Loving Him Anyway: Part 2

For those of you who have been tracking with us for a little while, you may remember my woes with our beloved three-year-old, "M", just weeks ago. I had been pushed beyond my motherly threshold with his frustrating defiance and stubborn resistance. In return, you all offered gracious advice and reassurance, to which I clung during the woeful hours. Thank you again for passing along your wisdom.

And as in all things with motherhood, I'm here to report change. Wonderful change. Within a week of writing the post, we had turned a corner on M's rotten behavior. Yelling turned to laughing; frowns to giggles; resistance to compliance. (For me: dread to enjoyment.)

How did I accomplish this small miracle? You ask.
I didn't. God did.
We prayed a lot, talked a lot, worried a lot... and then it just vanished.
It was a beloved phase that came and went. (Though it does creep in again from time to time!)

Such ebbs and flows in children are a miracle of parenthood, in my opinion. They are the lifeblood of a new mother, nursing her infant in the wee hours of the morning, knowing there are more restful days ahead (unless she's a first-timer!). They are the source of hope for the parent battling stubborn will and insolence, knowing such traits will oneday define their child for the better (we hope!) They are the light at the end of the tunnel for all things toddler and teething and troublesome.

I sometimes find myself resenting change like this as it brings on a new way of life and new experiences when I am happy in my current rut and schedule. For example, the dawn of the transition from two naps to one nap for a baby is enough to throw any mother into a tizzy at the loss of morning free time. But soon she might begin to appreciate all the goodness God packs into change; all the hope, comfort, and potential joy wrapped up in transition. She will go from being homebound to having freedom to explore the world with her child in the morning hours. Life will take on new shape and form and she will soon see that it is good.

Change is for the good, especially when it involves moving from worse to better. Especially when it involves going from the hopeless feeling of "will this go on forever?" to one of "okay, I can make it through this..." Change is Divine, in my opinion, and we are definitely loving our blessing of change here these days. That is until our next transition into the "terrible twos" for our youngest. Nothing we can't get through, right?! God bless you!