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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Doing something right...

So many of my days end with me wondering if I did anything right in regards to parenting. Did I play enough? Listen enough? Engage enough? Did I discipline correctly? Did I love unselfishly?

I would be lying if I didn't admit that most days I feel inadequate and wonder how my kids might ever survive me as a mom.

But then there a moments like today where I got a glimmer of hope.

The morning started out real lazy as is our usual Thursday routine since we are on a hectic schedule Mon-Wed. So we were sitting around the coffee table....reading, drawing, talking. Lexi started to look through the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and stumbled onto a page that had the most ADORABLE Dr. Seuss bedding. She and Haley started talking about how cute they were and then Lexi said, "I want those in my bed." And as soon as I was about to say something, Haley said.. "Sissy...we need to be grateful for what we have."

I was so proud of her.

I then tried to explain the differences between wants and needs. I left out the part about me not even looking through Pottery Barn Catalogs anymore because when you don't know what's out there, you don't have to worry about wanting it. :)

Nor did I flip to the page that had the Star Wars sheets on them because I wasn't sure if her "grateful" speech would hold up in the face of such an extravagant want! I preferred to leave the conversation with joy in my heart knowing that if only for a moment...Haley knew she was blessed....knew she had all she needed and knew to be grateful. And with so many conversations between Lexi and Haley being of the..well...not so kind type...my heart was so full to see one so sweet and pure.

Maybe I'm doing something right after all.

8 comments:

VikingMom said...

Great moments like that help you get through the days when they're tearing eachother's hair out. That along with the thought that they'll be parents someday dealing with their own kids torturing eachother. Parental karma...it does work! (I should know...I experience my mother's payback all the time.)

Lyn said...

That is so precious. Makes me happy for all of you.

Don said...

What a sweet big sister! I think it's cute that they were catalog shopping, anyway. They're growing up too darn fast!

BTW, you're doing a great job with those girls.

Heidi said...

You've done and continue to do a wonderful job... love you!

Brazenlilly said...

You may feel surprised to discover the result of good parenting, but the rest of us are not. :)

Dionne Sincire said...

your girls are so sweet.

i often lye in bed guilting myself over the same notions. the result is always the same. i always sense that i could have done this better or done that better. strange how our perceived shortcomings seem to have more permanence in our reflections on the day. its a slippery slope.

when i read this post i see balance. that's something i strive for daily.

Don said...

In my own parenting retrospect, my big question regarding you was, "What's her obsession with the 'moon?'" Get it . . . the moon???

The Craftypigs said...

There's no doubt in my mind you're doing it right! I love that she used the word "grateful". Props for that. Most 5 year olds haven't a clue what that word means much less to know it well enough to use it in a sentence.