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Chaos, Lovable Chaos

"Mom, he's pushing me."
"Mom, she won't get out of my room."
"Mom, they are irritating me!"
"Mooooooommmmmm!"

Isn't if funny how our kiddos can push us to the absolute brink of insanity? I find my inner thoughts saying, "Okay Crystal. Today's the day you finally go crazy. It's happening." Yet, when I'm away from those stinkers, I long to be around that chaos. I truly enjoy going to work. I know....right? That's nuts, but I do. Yet early afternoon rolls around and I find myself counting down to quitting time, so I can go home and just hug all three of them.

Even though 90% of the time between siblings (in my house anyway) is spent seeing what they can do to push each other's buttons, there are sometimes these sweet moments of peace and playtime. Those moments where despite the bickering and the tattling to mom, you can truly see that they love each other. My favorites are when I'm just sitting down (most likely next to a laundry pile) with the tv off and can hear their chats, imagination and playtime together.

If there's anything that adulthood has taught me, it's that in the end, family is the absolute most important thing. My sister and I were once those siblings, constantly picking on each other, starting fights and tattling to our parents. Today we are the best of friends. That friendship is something I wish for my own children someday. My twins will always share a bond, but I want their friendship to evolve as they grow up. And I want my son to have two sisters, two female perspectives to value and guide him through life.

So when you have a bad day and you think "today is the day I go crazy," because trust me, I'm there often, I want you to stop, reflect on the 10%, instead of the 90% and realize that our kids are navigating through a world of emotions. Sometimes those behaviors have more meaning behind them than we realize. Sometimes they need a time out, just like we do. And sometimes they need your undivided attention in a world full of distractions. We've got this mommas!




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