I don't like fighting with kids. There are non-negotiables in our house. Gavin can tell you about them, "If I go in the woods naked, I go inside and get TIME OUT". Yes, that actually has to be a rule at our house. But there are times when it really just doesn't seem worth a fight.
Gavin's two. His world operates in two dimensions: totally focused and butterfly mode. Right now he's reading in the playroom. Could last for hours. Could last five minutes.
So when he needs a haircut, I do it as long as he'll tolerate, then pick it up again later. So he looks a little scruffy. Big deal. Still haven't gotten it to look like this.
Transitioning to slower timelines has probably been the biggest transition for me becoming a stay at home parent. It takes me all week to clean the house (and then we start over again), because I only do one thing a day. It takes 15 minutes to load the car and get on the road. I start cooking dinner at 3 so whatever derails us (and something always does) won't interfere with dinner coming together by 5:30. This is hard for me. Sometimes, I want to scream, "ALL I WANT TO DO TODAY IS VACUUM! WHY IS THIS SO HARD???".
But then I get back to the orginal point. Is it worth arguing about? Is it worth not liking my child to vacuum in what I think is a reasonable amount of time? Not really. I love my family, but I also genuinely like them. Gavin is silly, and sweet, and smarter than I think I realize. Finn is shaping up to be a thoughtful, joy-filled baby. Praise the Lord he appears to have a little patience.
I'm still learning patience. But perspective makes patience possible.
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