The Lohreys: A Lesson on Patience

Let's be honest, we all, at some point or another, struggle with patience. And if I'm to be perfectly honest with you I struggle daily with having patience with my 2 year old. What is it about being a parent that makes you have abnormally high expectations with your own kid? I mean, yes some expectations are completely appropriate, but then again, there are adults in our lives that you have to ask them to do something a million times before you eventually do it yourself because you realize it will NEVER get done, so what makes a 2 year old THAT much different? And not to toot my own horn, but when it comes down to it, Kai is pretty freaking awesome and it is just my patience, or lack of, that takes over me and makes me that crazed monster that reminds me of my own (very lovely) mother. On that note...all mothers have their moments...I hope.

So the last couple of weeks Malachi and I have been working on having patience. He's 2 so naturally he wants everything immediately and I'm 28 so naturally I want everything immediately. Well unfortunately for him, when he wants something I can't always get it for him that instant so we've started counting to 10, singing the ABCs or some other song of choice. Not sure this really helps but it distracts him for long enough that i don't have to listen to him whine until I can get him the thing he wants or help him with what he is asking. It's actually been pretty great for both of us and though he still wants things instantly, if I tell him we need to be patient he starts counting or singing and sometimes dancing, which always makes for good entertainment. Singing always beats listening to a fussy butt 2 year old. Always.

So this is where the point to this whole long story comes to a conclusion. Wednesday night Brian had a ball game, which Kai was OVERLY excited to go to, as always. No joke this kid LOVES "ball bames" (yes, that's how he says it). So I'm pretty much packing everything under the sun to bring to this game, because Lord knows he'll ALWAYS ask for the one thing I forgot to pack. So the bags are packed (yes, multiple bags) and I am ready to go. One problem: Kai does not have his shoes on and they are back in his room. GOSH DARN MOTHER TRUCKER I JUST SAT DOWN! Yes, that literally went through my head. So being the non-lazy mother who is clearly only taking this opportunity to teach her son a lesson, I tell Kai to go get his shoes in his room. Normally he just runs back and gets them, however, he was in the middle of building something that probably would have cured cancer had I let him finish it before saying, "Kai of you do not get your shoes we will NOT be going to the ball game" Now before you get all judgmental on me, I'm pregnant, was hungry and very hormonal so YES my patience was wearing thin. Well much to my surprise Kai's head pops around the corner of the couch and says, very calmly, "Mommy patience!" Whaaaaaaaaaat? My jaw just about hit the floor. It was one of those moments that I was both proud and defeated at the same time. Happy that he was learning patience, but maaaaaaan, defeated at my own game. And I hate losing. Point for the little man.