Motherhood has been a life changing, positive, yet challenging experience. I love being a mom. Each new stage brings joy and it brings growth. I’m challenged to be a better person, a better wife and a better mom each day that my daughter grows and learns new things. Today, I’m facing a new challenge: fit throwing. Up until this point, my daughter has been a very happy, content baby. Ask anyone that knows her, and they will tell you she always has a smile on her face and is content with any circumstance. She’s always been a very strong, independent, go-getter of a girl. She started rolling at two months, was on all fours at four months, sat up, crawled and pulled up to stand at six months and was walking at eight months. Now, as a physical therapist, I was overjoyed that she was hitting all of these milestones ahead of the game and proudly watched her get stronger and stronger each day.
Well, all of that “ahead of the game stuff,” has presented a new challenge. My ten month old is now throwing fits. Miss Independent has discovered her strong will and that she has a choice on what she does and doesn’t want. This past week, when she doesn’t get what she wants she starts flailing the arms, screaming, and at times even throws herself on the floor. Oh boy. What now? Up until this point, I’ve had it easy. I’m in for a lot of trouble.
So, how do you effectively discipline a ten month old? Yes, she developed quickly but she is still only ten months. Therefore, I would assume that time outs and spankings are still out of her league and would not be effective. So, what can I do?
Through many conversations with close friends and family, I’ve come to the decision to follow some advice. I have been told that when she throws fits, don’t give in right away, wait until she has calmed down to give her what she wants. If what she wants is not appropriate then, tell her no and wait again until she calms down before moving on. This sounds like a great plan and I hope it works. However, I’m afraid there will be times when I can’t take the fit throwing and I give in. Parenting was so much easier when she stayed in one place and did what I wanted her to. So, wish we luck in this new endeavor and pray for Erik and I that we stay strong and loving and not lose our minds through this new stage. I know one day I’ll miss the fit throwing days.
With all of that being said, yes there are challenges with motherhood and parenting but there are also so many wonderful things that happen every day and each new thing brings more joy than the last. The last couple days, Kate started giving unprompted hugs. Whenever she is playing, she will run to me or her dad with outstretched arms and wrap her little arms around our necks. It is the sweetest feeling in the entire world when your toddler starts deliberately showing her love for you with a big smile on her face. Hugs and kisses from my child melt my heart and make every difficult challenge or day disappear in an instant. My last few posts have been emphasizing my challenges but I wanted to end this one on a positive note. The truth is, nothing worth having is easy but every moment of motherhood is worth it. Despite the hard times, I would not change a single moment of it for anything in the world. The smiles, the giggles, the hugs and the kisses are worth more to me than all the riches, possessions and positions I could ever have or wish for. So, maybe I’m overwhelmed, maybe I’m frustrated, maybe I don’t even know what to do at times, but one thing is for sure: I love being mom to my Kate. There is no one, or no where I would rather be.