Embrace the Craziness

It goes with out saying that there is never a dull moment when you have kids. I remember times when Maisie was still nursing and Calan still needed a lot of foods cut up that I would be feeding the 2 of them and myself all at the same time. I remember sitting back and just thinking how nuts it all was and if anyone else saw me right now, they would think I was nuts too. I felt like I belonged in a zoo. But the fact is life with kids is a zoo, but aren't zoos suppose to be fun?

The more I enjoy the craziness, the less it seems crazy to me. I don't think I will ever feel like I have enough arms and hands to do everything that needs to be done. Life is no doubt full of craziness. But this is all such a short time in my life that if I don't embrace it now, I will miss it.

When Calan is up rocking half the night or Maisie decides to be up at 5:30 a.m., I remind myself how quickly they will be teenagers that won't wake up till noon. I feel like I will miss these times then. That doesn't mean that there aren't nights that I want to strap Calan to his bed so he stops rocking; it just means I try not to dwell on it.

There is no doubt that most of the time I feel like a chicken with its head cutoff. But the more I embrace the craziness, the more peace I have that I didn't have during Calan's first year. I feel like I am enjoying them more.

The more I release control, the more I get to enjoy my kids. And isn't that what we want to do? I want to look back and think that I really did enjoy them as infants and toddlers. I am not just waiting for them to get older and for life to get easier. The fact is that life never gets easier. Life is different, yes, but easier, no. There are always new obstacles and challenges.

There is something to be said about not looking to the past and not looking too much to the future. If we embrace our present craziness, we can actually see the fun in it all.

My kids most definitely keep me on my toes, but they are seriously two of the most amazing people I know (I might be a little bias here of course). I love watching them explore and learn knew things. If I am too concerned with keeping life at a dull hum then I miss out on all the fun craziness and joy that they bring to my life.

So embrace the craziness. Let go of unreal expectations. And go a little nuts.

Mother-2-Mother is a blogging series where I am sharing some advice that I tend to give friends when they ask. Take from it what you will. Parenting is a touchy subject. I am by no means telling you how to parent.