So, I'm feeling the guilt and stress of parenting 3 kids, ages 2 and under. The other day, Alex was acting up, I was short on sleep, the babies were tired and fussy, the house was a mess, etc. etc. Poor Alex got the brunt of my exasperated feelings. He was being a stinker (just typical 2-yr old stuff, nothing major) and I was losing my cool. It finally escalated into me yelling at him, and him cowering in his time-out chair. With innocent little eyes, and a partially frightened look on his face he said, "Mommy, don't be naughty!" *sigh* Man, oh man... I'm feeling the guilt.
What is it about a 2 year old that can bring out the devil in me? I've never been a short-tempered person. I rarely get in disagreements or arguments with anyone. And here I am (not the first time, unfortunately) totally blowing my top over a tiny child... I've been praying so hard to not let this happen. I'm getting better, but yesterday proved to me that I have to always be conscious of my mood and actions.
One of the many lessons I've learned from this is that it truly is divine to be child-like. Alex is the epitome of love and forgiveness. I can be yelling at him one minute, and the next minute he has totally forgiven me and is full of hugs and kisses. He never brings it up again, and he totally trusts me to provide the love and care that he needs. He never looks back. Can we as adults do that? Never bring up past hurts, be full of unfeigned loved, open and willing to take our offenders in our arms and tell them that we love and forgive them? I definitely need to work on that. Thank you, Alex, for teaching me so many important lessons. You are truly a special child of God.