Ricky and I butt heads. A lot. There is a lot about us that is very different and we sometimes struggle to understand each other. He’s very dramatic. I’m not. His emotions are on his sleeve and he hasn’t yet learned to control them.
Billy has a purpose – when he disobeys, there is a very good reason for it. At least a very good reason for him. He also sees nothing wrong with bopping his siblings when they aren’t doing what he wants. The smile on his face while he does it makes him appear bully-ish.
Rusty is two. He’s determined and cute and a yeller. He is a repeat offender – I don’t know how many times we’ve washed crayon off the same spot of wall. He and Tommy tag team with their obsession for dumping the toy baskets around the house. He poops. A lot.
Tommy is a back archer. When he isn’t getting what he wants, the head is thrown back, the back arched, and a protest begun. He’s a messy eater. An incredibly messy eater. He isn’t a people person and his nervousness around others gets old fast.
They all whine when they are tired or hungry. They don’t like being told no. They want to do what they want to do and that often isn’t what I want them to do.
But none of that matters today.
Today some very special friends were reunited with their lost son. He was only gone 20 hours, but that was an eternity. As I lay awake last night hurting for my friends and praying to my God, I got a little bit of perspective.
These challenges I have with my boys aren’t going to go away. As a good mom, I can’t just ignore that corrections need to be made either. But a little more time needs to be spent just making sure these boys know that I love them just the way they are. No one in this family is perfect, but we can love each other anyway. We may disagree and even argue, but we can love each other anyway. Discipline may be necessary daily, but we can love each other anyway.
If there is one thing my boys need to know it is that Kevin and I love them for the special little dudes they are.
That and if they ever get lost … hug a tree!