And They Call Her: Number Two

So, even though I have been learning the Mommy ropes with Cecelia there are actually quite a few things that I have learned from having another child. Almost all of these lessons have to do with me letting things go and letting my children be the little scientists they are and explore the world around them.

The picture of Delaney in the hi-chair got me to thinking about how when Cecelia was that age I probably would have been slightly bent out of shape because of the huge mess. There are so many little things that used to get under my skin when Cecelia was younger that don't bother me, really at all, with Delaney. For example, smearing dirty hands on the sliding glass door, digging in the garbage, digging in drawers, touching the VCR, throwing clean laundry all over the place, throwing the bowl/plate/fork/spoon/cup on the floor at every meal, etc, etc. It's not to say these things don't get old now and then (especially after a few hours of cleaning the house). But, I realize now that little children don't do these things intentionally to drive us nuts.

I must have been a very naive first time Mom because, for a while, I thought I was failing when CeCe dug inthe garbage after being told "hands out" 100 times in a row. I thought to myself, why isn't she following my instruction, am I saying it wrong, is she just being a pill??

In hindsight I can't believe I thought that. Now that CeCe is older and has learned I've realized that eventually kids outgrow that stuff and that, for some kids, it does take being told 5,000 times for it to sink in.

My friend Bonnie told me once about her oldest child that she wished she would have givin in just a little more, like let him sleep in her bed more. That has really resonated with me. It's so hard to know what to expect with your first born because you have no reference point.

So far, I have enjoyed being a mom for the second time because it's really so much more relaxing. It has also made me realize that even with Cecelia it's OK to wait for progress. Children are not programmable machines, they come with their own brains and personality and it's just our job to love, support and encourage every way we can.