At the end of the day...

The other day as I was getting sucked into Pinterest (like usual) I came across a little poster..the moment I saw it, I repinned it.  It was perfect and I love it.

As soon as I read it, I was captivated. 

This little booger is three.

He is loud.  He is obnoxious.

He doesn't listen.  He can't sit still.

He screams, cries, & yells when he doesn't get his way.

But, he is THREE.

Somewhere along the way, we've forgotten what childhood is supposed to be like.

To the average passerby, he is all those things, but to us he is MORE.

He is beautiful.  He is brilliant.

He is special.  He is kind.

He is spunky.  He is cheerful.

He is playful.  He is funny.

But most importantly he is OURS....for just a little while.  God has let us borrow him for just this little time and I'm not taking that for granted. 

Do I wish he would just calm the heck down & listen to me sometimes? 
YES, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

But, I constantly need to remind myself that he IS learning.  Everything we are trying to instill in him is not in vain.  We get little glimmers of the person he will someday be...and those give me hope, that I'm doing ok at this. 

I want him to remember his childhood as an amazing time in his life.  I want him to grow into the person God intended him to be, NOT THE PERSON SOCIETY TELLS ME HE SHOULD BE. 

At the end of the day, I don't care that he didn't eat all of his food...I don't care that he doesn't always share....I don't care that he's just down right mean sometimes...I don't care that he literally bounces off the walls....I don't care that he made a huge mess....

At the end of the day, all I care about is the person that he is becoming...because he's three...and all of that other stuff will come in time...right now I want him to be THREE.  I want him to be free.  I don't want him to have a care in the world.  I want him to learn & be free to learn however he chooses.  Because I love him.  God knew that even though I sometimes feel like I can't handle another moment of his craziness....He knew I could & that no matter how he "acts"....I will still love him.  Heck, he even gave me another little boy who I'm sure will be joining in on all the rowdiness soon enough. 

So, mamas...EMBRACE your little ones for who they are...don't try to change them...you may just break their little, fragile spirits.  They will soon be grown & gone & you won't remember if they shared their toys or behaved in public.  I'm not saying not to discipline because that would be unwise (we spend lots of time in time out around here), but discipline with LOVE.  Remember who they are as a person is more important.

They are listening, they are watching...be the example of who you want them to be. 

Love them for who they are.