Life's Stages

Several years ago I came to the realization that life is often made up of bi-polar opposites competing with each other on a daily basis. Most periods of my life can't be defined as all bad or all good. It's always a combination of the two in every particular season and time period.

And ever since having children it seems like life gets compartmentalized into things we like to refer to as stages. There's the baby stage, the crawling stage, the tantrum stage and on and on it goes.

We currently seem to be in the midst of two stages:

1. Aggravation Mode - I grew up with two brothers and know all too well that boys like to aggravate. I also know that this stage is likely to last the next 20 years, at least, for Jack. The problem is that aggravation stages are annoying to parents and little sisters. At first Matt got a kick out of Jack's aggravating habits. Now we're all a bit short tempered, especially when it's your time to be on the receiving end of the aggravating.

2. Resisting Training Mode - Mattie's nature has always meant she initially resists any correction or instruction. She likes to quickly change the subject or pretend you're not talking if she's getting in trouble. But even Jack, the one who typically minds very well, has been grumbling, complaining and eye-rolling a lot these days. How happy I was to come across a blog that spoke to this very subject earlier this week. Sally Clarkson is my go-to resource for encouragement and advice, and her gentle reminder that all children resist training - that it's part of their nature - allowed me to breath a sigh of relief and carry on in my motherly duties of training a child in the way he/she should go.

No matter what the season or stage, I know another one is just around the corner. With it will come the good, the bad and a whole lot of in between.