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Sometimes I wake up and it feel like the sun shines out of my children's ears. They are virtually made of fairy dust and zero calorie ice cream (the magic kind that doesn't taste like 56 day old cardboard). Jude, the three-year-old boy, marches out of his bed and gives me a sloppy kiss and Maeli the five-year-old, hugs me simultaneously.
These days are what I live for... however, they are few and far between.
Most days, when I wake up 3 snooze buttons later than I had intended, I rip the covers off of my sleeping beauties. They whine and cry and fight to keep their little demon eyes closed. The ant that snuck in (because one of them left a damn graham cracker on the floor for who knows how long) is lapping them on the way to the bathroom. Their toothbrushes must be made of lava based on how hard they are screaming to avoid them.
These days are hard. These are the days that the grass looks greener on the other side. These are the days that I have to remind myself... I am their bridge.
Parents are the connection for their children to the lives that they don't understand. We have to create some sort of link between what these kids WANT to do (sleep until eternity) and what they HAVE to do (brush their damn teeth). It is one of the hardest aspects for me, because I have a hard time justifying things to myself, let alone small people that think thunder is from the people in Heaven bowling.
Here is my tip for today: Embrace the shit. If we can turn brushing teeth into a game and making them laugh a little, then that skinned knee later might be a breeze. Also, add a timer or chart. Keeping the kids (and yourself) on task with a visual will eliminate the Fast and the Furious drive to school, try these as a starting point!
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