Moments of sweetness

I caught my toddler reading to my infant a day or so ago.

He had been running around the kitchen, getting into mischief, as usual, and I stepped out of the room. A moment later I return to the doorway to find him, on his knees, book across his lap "reading" animatedly to my 3 month old daughter. My son is 2 years old. It made my heart swell with love for him and for the family I have grown in my body and nurtured with my heart and soul.

A Collection of Newpapers.

On the morning after 9/11 I bought a newspaper that I keep in a cedar chest downstairs. I believed, and still do that it was a piece of history that I wanted preserved for my children. I will be buying another today.

America has elected it's first black president.
What an amazing victory.
Today truly is a new day. We have not yet lived in a world where the most important and influential leader in it is anything other than white.

I am astounded and awed at the truly monumental social change that this represents.

As I watched the victory form last night and the man himself take the stage to speak to a waiting world, I was amazing by his humility. He speaks of change, and he asks of his people their support and their conscious action. He spoke of the history of race politics and relations in America, from their violent and oppressive beginnings to their current state and then to the possible future that this heralds, He reminded America that they cannot simply fall back into their old patterns, that this change must represent real change. America has truly made history. Now the challenge will be to commit to the long haul of change that this historic decision requires. No longer can they be an oil addicted national. No longer can they allow themselves to glut on their Americanism. At each turn they must stop and reflect on what the better choice is. Green, or greed. Global or self seeking. Violence or peace. Truth or evasion.

I believe that change is possible. The incredible numbers that Obama drew to the polls, numbers not seen in the history of America, tell me that the country is waking out of its apathy and seeking a new direction. America is ready to lead the world into the new millenium.

I have bope for my children and the world that they will inherit. I am proud of humanity today and what we have accomplished.

Change is truly possible.

History could be made tonight.

I imagine that tonight had the potential to be one of those "I remember where I was when..." nights. Where were you the night the first black president of the USA was elected? I believe that this election will invariably cause great social outcry and reaction. If Obama wins, it is an historic moment. A black man in the White House, leading the free world Monumental change from the segregated America of a mere fifty years ago. If McCain wins, or more importantly if Obama loses, there will be riots.

We bend, not break.

I have a Spirited Child

My son is not the child that I expected to have. We all dream of having the perfect child. Quiet or boisterous, but mindful of mom and dad and cooperative. My son is not these things. He is intense and persistent, long after I have given up he is still holding strong. He is louder, faster and just MORE than most other kids you know.

He is enough to make a person crazy.

What I am beginning to learn is that I will never have my "perfect" child. I have my son. As a mother, part of me mourns for what I have "lost". Every time I am ready to bust, part of me weeps for the child that I thought I would have. Why aren't you a better behaved child? What did I do wrong?

The reality is this;

I did nothing wrong. He is who he is. In learning to work with who he is rather than try to bend him to my will I have discovered that he is a better child than I thought and I am a better parent than I thought. I have found cooperation, listening skills and an eagerness to please, rather than to anger. I have found the child that I had thought was lost, only it wasn't him that needed to change...

It was me.

Coos and Toddles

I have made a discovery.

I believe I have what is known as a Spirited Child. He is more of everything. More persistent, more energetic, more outgoing, more intense, more stubborn. Just More.

For so long I have felt like an awful parent. I spend many of my days frustrated beyond words at his tenacity and his defiance. Then I discovered that there are other children like my Mason out there. I am picking up a book from the library tomorrow about such children and how to be a good parent to a challenging kid. My husband is reluctant to accept the label but I desperately need to know that this is not about me being a bad parent, and to practice strategies that might save me some frustration. We will see if it helps. More to follow :)

My beautiful little girl is fussing and crying constantly of late. Not that I can complain though, she is sleeping 9 hours straight through the night, and then going back for three more directly after eating herself into a slack jawed stupor. It's tough when I know how sweet she can be to know that I have done everything (fed, changed, rocked etc), and still have her squalling inconsolably in my arms. Such is the life of a parent is what I am discovering. Perhaps it is due to the diaper rash I am treating with vaseline and cornstarch, perhaps a growth spurt. We shall see tomorrow I suppose as it is day three today and they say growth spurts only last three days.

On a more fabulous and green minded note, I have made the move to cloth diapers and I love them! I feel so much better about the environmental impact of cloth. I have found myself becoming more and more conscious of my footprint with my children. I want the world to be clean and beautiful for them and their children also.

Naptime is ticking away and there is much to be done.... rest... dishes... laundry.....

Ah, motherhood.