No Shoes...

[Tough Grits]

I always thought Mother's Day was just another holiday invented just to get our money.

HOWEVER, now that I am a mother of two head-strong, smart, active, and determined children...I absolutely LOVE Mother's Day...and I even think that there should be time set aside EVERY day to thank, praise, and give love to mothers!!!!

Okay, let me get to the "No Shoes" part of my post.

Every morning my soon-to-be five year old son, Cameron (we call him Bubba), has a melt-down about something. Either he is tired, hungry, does not want to brush his teeth, wants to watch cartoons, and/or does not like the clothes I picked out for him. He is SOOO difficult in the mornings. Time out, threatening, and/or spanking does nothing to eliminate the behavior.

Well, as we were getting ready Thursday morning, I had to remind the kids (I have a soon-to-be seven year old daughter) to get their shoes on. Every morning I remind them and every morning as I am heading out the door they have to scramble to get their shoes on at the last minute because they fooled around doing other things.

So, it was a mad dash to the car, as usual. We said our morning prayer (it works best with them strapped into their booster seats), and then we were off to school. Once we got to school, we all got out of the car. As I tried to dig down through my purse to find the keys to my classroom, I looked over at Ryan and Bubba. I nearly dropped everything I had in my hands right there in the parking lot.

Bubba was standing there in his socks...NO SHOES.

You would think that walking to the car that morning in the wet grass in his socks would have been reminder enough that he had NO SHOES. Guess not.

I had two choices. Either call my husband at home and wake him up just to drive all the way to school with a pair of shoes for Bubba, or make him go to class with no shoes. I was SOOOO tempted to make him spend the day in pre-k with no shoes. Unfortunately, it would have been a bad reflection on me...rather than him.

On a prompting from the Spirit, I opened the car back up...rummaged through their junk pile in the backseat...and found Bubba's boots. Whew! Did he ever luck out!!!!

I deserve a special day for being a mother. Not just a mother, but for being Ryan's mother, and for being Bubba's mother.

Having said all that...my own dear mother deserves a day just for her, after having raised me. Because I was far more destructive, head-strong, and mischievous than my two ever could be. LOL LOL

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!

:wub:

[Gwen]

lol our kids would get along. i frequently ask how i'm going to survive my blessing of healthy, adventurous, creative children.

[pam]

Hahaha welcome to the world of ALL mothers. I think we have all been through that.

[Tough Grits]

Pam and Gwen:

Thanks for reminding me that I am NOT alone in my struggle to raise rambunctious children!!! LOL

I think this is one of the great purposes behind Relief Society and sisterhood in general...to allow us to share with one another our struggles, trials, joys, sorrows, laughter, and hardships. Too often we can think we are alone in our situation. Though our situation may be unique to us, there are plenty of sisters who can offer up similar stories of their own. It never fails to amaze and humble me how sharing my own trials and experiences can lift another and give them courage through their own situations. Nor can I count how often I have been lifted and strengthened by hearing a testimony or by having a conversation with a sister who was going through a refiners fire.

~TG

[BusyMom]

TG:

I am glad to know someone else's children have problems putting on shoes too!!! Sometimes I feel so far from a good mom but it sounds like it just might be life with young children. Thanks for making me feel better.

[MorningStar]

I always thought Mother's Day was just another holiday invented just to get our money.

HOWEVER, now that I am a mother of two head-strong, smart, active, and determined children...I absolutely LOVE Mother's Day...and I even think that there should be time set aside EVERY day to thank, praise, and give love to mothers!!!!

Okay, let me get to the "No Shoes" part of my post.

Every morning my soon-to-be five year old son, Cameron (we call him Bubba), has a melt-down about something. Either he is tired, hungry, does not want to brush his teeth, wants to watch cartoons, and/or does not like the clothes I picked out for him. He is SOOO difficult in the mornings. Time out, threatening, and/or spanking does nothing to eliminate the behavior.

Well, as we were getting ready Thursday morning, I had to remind the kids (I have a soon-to-be seven year old daughter) to get their shoes on. Every morning I remind them and every morning as I am heading out the door they have to scramble to get their shoes on at the last minute because they fooled around doing other things.

So, it was a mad dash to the car, as usual. We said our morning prayer (it works best with them strapped into their booster seats), and then we were off to school. Once we got to school, we all got out of the car. As I tried to dig down through my purse to find the keys to my classroom, I looked over at Ryan and Bubba. I nearly dropped everything I had in my hands right there in the parking lot.

Bubba was standing there in his socks...NO SHOES.

You would think that walking to the car that morning in the wet grass in his socks would have been reminder enough that he had NO SHOES. Guess not.

I had two choices. Either call my husband at home and wake him up just to drive all the way to school with a pair of shoes for Bubba, or make him go to class with no shoes. I was SOOOO tempted to make him spend the day in pre-k with no shoes. Unfortunately, it would have been a bad reflection on me...rather than him.

On a prompting from the Spirit, I opened the car back up...rummaged through their junk pile in the backseat...and found Bubba's boots. Whew! Did he ever luck out!!!!

I deserve a special day for being a mother. Not just a mother, but for being Ryan's mother, and for being Bubba's mother.

Having said all that...my own dear mother deserves a day just for her, after having raised me. Because I was far more destructive, head-strong, and mischievous than my two ever could be. LOL LOL

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!

:wub:

If I didn't know better, I would think I wrote this post. Shoes and socks - the bain of my existence.

[Tough Grits]

BusyMom and MorningStar,

See? it is all too easy to feel that we are the only ones going through a rough spot with our kids!! LOL LOL

Now, this morning both kids were in rare form. No crying, no whining, no fighting, and no yelling. I wish I could say that it was because they somehow knew that today was Mother's Day and they were showing the gratitude for me by being on their best behavior.

HA! I wish!!

No, it is more because two exciting things were happening this morning:

1. My husband bought me two Mother's Day gifts (first time, other than my engagement ring, that he has bought me something on his own!), and he told the children that they could give the gifts to me as if they were from them, and not him. Bubba picked the earrings to give to me, and Ryan picked the chain/charm.

2. Although Bubba's b-day is on Tuesday (he will be 5), we had told him that we would have a cake and presents for him at family dinner today.

Soooooo, they were so good today because they were excited to give me my Mother's Day gifts, and because they were looking forward to b-day cake at family dinner. LOL LOL

The trick is this: learning to appreciate the sunshine...regardless of why the sun is shining.

It does not bother me why my kids were good this morning, I just appreciate the fact that they were! I will take my sunshine any way that I can!!!!! LOL LOL

[MorningStar]

YAY FOR COOPERATIVE CHILDREN!!!!! Hmmm ... If you had something exciting for them to look forward to every day, I wonder if that would work? Or maybe the novelty would wear off.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I'm glad I am not the only one who feels more uplifted by others sharing their trials and finding out that I'm not the only one going 'through stuff' - so often we are told only to share the positive experiences and not bring others down by sharing the negative ones that I often end up feeling that I'm the only person who has difficulties.

[Gwen]

i can't agree more willow, i think we should share the bad. just do it in a way that is respectful and at the right times. i can't count how many moms i've heard say that watching their moms they thought mothering would be easy, that it was joy all the time. only after they had kids, got so overwhelmed that they were the only ones that couldn't handle it, and called their moms in desperation and humiliation to admit they couldn't handle it did mom finally tell them the truth. about nights where after all the kids were in bed they would sit in a tub of warm water and cry for an hour, or how many times they called their moms to come and take the kids before they killed them, etc. i think that's sad. i'm grateful that my mom never lied to me about that stuff. she told me of her trials and her joys. i will say i still didn't have a full grasp but i wasn't clueless either.

i like sharing things like the shoes story cause it takes something that made you want to scream or cry at the time and it becomes so funny. ppl start sharing stories and the understanding laughter starts. puts a new perspective on it; a much less lonely and desperate perspective.

[Tough Grits]

I agree.

There is nothing wrong with sharing personal, heartfelt accounts of the blessings or trials in our lives. As long as we have the Spirit as we convey our thoughts and feelings, then sharing our experiences is absolutely a good thing.

Often, it is from our trials and sufferings that we learn more, rather than from blessings. But how would others know of what we learned through our refiners fire if we didn't share?

Being a mother is hard work. It takes everything that I have, and even then I still couldn't be a good mother without Heavenly Father's guiding hands and His loving Spirit. I know that I am not a perfect mother, but I can look in the eyes of my children and see that they are happy, that they feel safe in my home, and that they feel loved. That is what keeps me going through the days that I just want to pull my hair out!!!!

~TG

[Guest tomk]

Tough:

I just have to laugh. You do deserve a special day. My wife has similar stories to tell (Guess who gets to listen to them?).

Tom

[siouxz72]

hee hee! This has been great! You would think that having older children (16, 15 and 12) would make it a little easier on me...but no! I have one particular daughter that is such () a trial to me! Could be that she's just like me...my whole family calls her little Susie! So, thanks to you all for reminding me that I'm not alone in my trials... and we do have the funny stories to balance it all out. Case in point...the other day littlemisschatterbox and friend were out shopping when she grabs a shirt and says "ohmygoondess!! I love this shirt!!" friend oh so nicely points out "ummm....That's cuz you're wearing it!" hahahahahahaha!!!!

[Tough Grits]

Hats off to you siouxz72!!!!!

Having children in their teens years has to be difficult. I am trying my hardest to brace myself for when my two head into that phase...even though it is YEARS away. I bet it will get here all to soon.

That is another reason why Relief Society, and sisterhood in general, is a blessing. We can look around us and see women and sisters of all ages and stages of life. Those who are enduring the "terrible teens" with their children now, will be able to comfort me and offer advice when it is my turn to endure those years. I know that I am gonna need it!!!

I am not so worried about my son, but my daughter scares me. So is TOO much like me in her loud voice, assertive personality, and tough attitude. Oh, she can be a princess when she wants to be, but when she doesn't...LOOK OUT!!! LOL LOL

~TG

[Truegrits]

Having children in their teens years has to be difficult.

Daily I pray for the patience and the strength to get Jordan (14 +) through his teens and on his Mission. It is the magical goal at the end of a long dark tunnel...LOL

He used to be such a joy, then he transformed... into an argumentative, sullen, non-motivated entity!

But every now and then I see a glimmer of the "real" Jordan...and I continue to pray...that we both will make it through the next four years!