Pushing Buttons...

A rare picture of Mommy and Daddy together...with our cute baby :).

Yesterday was not the day that I planned. We arrived at our original destination only to see busses of field trippers also arriving. I pictured myself chasing Lucy through masses of elementary school children and then trying to find a private place to nurse. Um, yeah, it wasn't going to work! So, we promptly drove off.

We ended up at the mall at the kids' request (definitely not my first choice!). I've written about this mall before as it's one of the only indoor destinations for small children in Harrisburg, PA! It was a cold, rainy day so outdoors was not an option.

I was a little nervous that Joseph (who is tall for age 6!) would be much too big for the preschool playground. Luckily, however, there were quite a few older kids there yesterday, and they immediately introduced themselves and started playing tag. Only one small toddler was knocked over (I ran over to apologize to his mother and she told me that she understood as she has older kids too...phew!). The kids had a blast for 45 minutes, so it was a success!

On the way out (I adhere to a strict nap schedule for my sanity, so we had to leave before they were ready to leave!), I got a small snack to tide everyone over until lunch. Then, because my mother sent me a gift card for Christmas (yes, it's almost June now!), I went to the nearby Starbucks drive-thru and ordered myself a delicious coffee! Maybe the mall wasn't such a bad choice after all...

The ride home was torture (for Lucy, that is!). Because we need 6 car seats and/or booster seats, there aren't a lot of options for who-sits-where in our minivan!!! This means that Justin (age 3-1/2) and Lucy (age 2) must sit next to each other. Ugh!

During the 15-20 minute ride home, Justin managed to push every.single.one of Lucy's buttons (and therefore, Mommy's buttons!). Lucy was already cranky as it was getting close to nap time, and her big brother simply wouldn't leave her alone (putting body parts all over her, taking her water, touching her face...and these are only the things I witnessed from the rearview mirror!). I did my best to firmly correct him, but he knew that I was completely helpless to stop him (unless I pulled over, which I have done before!). By the time we pulled into our neighborhood, the coffee was the only thing keeping me sane!!!

Happier Times!

Then, I heard these lyrics come on the radio. I had not heard this song before, but it had a nice catchy tune. And, for the record, after reading the rest of the lyrics online, I really don't need to hear it again! But, the words summed up my feelings toward Justin perfectly at that given moment. They were (from Pink's song True Love) the following:

 Sometimes I hate every single stup**id word you say
Sometimes I wanna slap you in your whole face (Whoa-Oh-Oh)
There's no one quite like you, you push all my buttons

I know life would su** without you (Whoa-Oh-Oh)

At the same time, I wanna hug you

 

(the song continues with not nice words!)

 



Now, I have never/would never slap my children's faces...but at the moment, it sounded like an okay idea...ha!

It summed up the feelings of parenting young children (in my experience, especially 3-year-olds!!!!). They can get me so worked up as they test like crazy, and they are extremely stubborn (Justin can sit for hours without taking another bite and we will just never be finished potty training!).

Love is a choice, and I choose to love my son...praying that he'll become more reasonable at age 4 (as my others have!). As my friend said recently about her 3-year-old, "Half the time I want to hug her, and other half I want to sell her!"

YES! God help us :). It's True Love!