It's Not The Mom, It's The Kid...

Once Upon A Time, when there were only 2 children in our home, life was sweet. We had these 2 angel children who smiled and laughed all the time, who did what they were told, who sat quietly in church, who played together and by themselves so well it was almost surreal. I'm not kidding you, both Gabe and Paige were the easiest 2 children any mother could ask for. I used to think I was the mother of the world and I would look at those children throwing tantrums in the supermarket in dismay wondering why their mothers weren't doing something about their terrible behavior. And then along came Wild Man Wade. You see that baby in the stroller. That was Wade almost the entire time on both of our flights to California, except for he wasn't strapped in. I remember a time before I had him, being in a store and there was a baby screaming at the back and the store clerk, an older lady, was shaking her head in dismay saying, "When I was a young mom that kind of behavior wasn't tolerated. That little boy needs a good lashing!" And I remember nodding in agreement and thinking, "I know exactly what you mean." Now I am that mom with the screaming kid in the store and I will tell you what, there is nothing I can do to keep him from having a fit because he wants to open all the food before we buy it. Even if I open one little thing that can still be purchased, he just wants another thing opened. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the little guy to death. He has brought both joy and excitement into our home, mostly excitement, and he can make me laugh like neither of the other two ever could, but I have learned that when it comes to toddlers and good behavior, I actually know nothing as a mother. And so my new motto goes, "It has very little to do with the Mother and everything to do with the Kid!"