Cool As A Cucumber

Do you ever look at your beautiful, sweet, loving child and think... OMG I'm so frustrated!!!!? 

It happens. And if you say you have never had a frustrating moment with your bundle of joy then you are not human. There is a reason why God made babies so gosh darn cute.

I'd like to think I'm pretty good at keeping my cool and I'm a very patient person (you kind of have to be if you work with children) but even I have thrown a tantrum that made me stop and think... Which one is the toddler here? 

Diaper changes. Oh how you've changed since Lilly became mobile. Every now and then I start feeling flustered while trying to put a diaper on a roly poly... Uh, I mean Lilly. Sometimes I give up and let her run around for a few minutes before trying again with a more relaxed attitude. This also test how brave you are... Especially if you have carpet in your house. 

There are two ways to look at this situation. My point of view would probably be something like this: FOR THE LOVE OF PETE WILL YOU PLEASE BE STILL FOR 2 MORE SECONDS SO I CAN GET THIS DAG ON DIAPER ON YOU AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. (Wow, that made my blood pressure rise just typing that!) 

From Lilly's point of view: I just want to play momma. I'm doing the best I can. I'm only one. 

And just like that I feel calm again. Toddlers love to move. Toddlers love to dance. Toddlers love to explore. Toddlers  are very curious about the world around them. And that's okay. So the next time your toddler pulls out all of the toilet paper, puts peanut butter all in their hair, or even rolls around during a diaper change, take a big breath and remind yourself that they are doing the best they can. 

And the next time your toddler is throwing a fit with crocodile tears and all, just tell yourself this- They are not giving you a hard time, they are having a hard time. There is a difference. And just by thinking that in my head it helps me to continue to be as cool as a cucumber.