A three-year-old dangles off the backyard fort screaming. A 17-month-old with a newfound fetish for biting claims a victim – another toddler who hasn’t figured out that intentionally placing her fingers in the mouth of my biter is a bad idea. An infant refuses to be put down and is screaming loudly. This is how my day ended today. Chaos. Tears. Adrenaline.
Yes, this is my life at times. No, I’m not a masochist. I’m just one of those people who long ago learned that life is messy, sometimes stressful, and loud. Very loud.
I would complain, but I don’t think I can. You see, I can’t count this as a bad day. What may seem overwhelming and unthinkable to some people is just another ordinary day for me.
Does this mean I didn’t dash to catch the dangling three-year-old with a fast-beating heart? No. Does this mean I was less mortified and saddened by the biting incident (especially since it was my daughter doing the biting)? Not at all. I am not desensitized. I have just accepted and embraced my world.
I have also learned to put everything into perspective.
There are good and bad moments within every day (and not just for child care providers). If I were to look at one snapshot of the chaos and declare today to be a bad day, then frankly every day would be terrible. Instead, I choose to pay attention to the amazing moments.
A quote by Maurice Setter
For instance, earlier in the day I was surrounded by six children ranging in age from two- to four-years-old who were fascinated by the images and videos I shared on my tablet of streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. We talked at length about the beauty of the water and land on our earth. They were engaged and asking great questions. Then we sat around the table and created awesome pictures of trees, a stream, and rocks.
No one cried. No one took a bite out of another child. Everyone smiled. Including me.
How do you think I choose to remember today? By the final few minutes of insanity or the hour-long educational experience I shared with my preschoolers? For me, it is simple. Once the last child leaves I brush the day off and I CHOOSE to remember the amazing moments. I shake my head and laugh about the absurdity at the end.
It is always a choice. Sometimes people forget this fact. Maybe this is what differentiates us all.
How do you choose to remember today? How about yesterday or last week? How about last month or all of last year? How do you want to remember your lifetime?
Please leave me a comment or join the Tiny Steps Mommy Facebook page to continue the discussion.
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Photo Credit: Choose Joy Citizen Girl
We all make choices. I actually just wrote about basically the same thing.
http://greekwife.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-that-time-again.html