Discipline & Love

A friend of mine is having her third baby, and as a gift to her another friend is putting together an inspirational book full of quotes/stories/memories that she gathered from the women who know her. Four questions were sent out to a group of us to answer, and my favorite one was:

What do you love most about being a Mom??

This was my answer:

I love almost everything about being a mom (minus the sleepless nights for the first few months! Ha!). I love that God chose me (specifically) to be Elliana's mother. I love that when I look at her I see my husband and I's love for each other. I love that I get to explore with her, guide her & teach her about all of the wonderful things that God created. I love the snuggles, the laughs, the hugs and kisses, and the sweet way that she says "Amen". But in this season of discipline (she's nearly 2!), I also love watching as she learns life lessons about forgiveness & consequences. Delicate, heart matters. I love that I get to be the one who demonstrates those things to her...and that the Lord trusted me with that call.

I'm one of those people who just sits down and starts writing. And one who, most of the time, is surprised at how whatever it is that I write turns out in the end. This time was no different. I wrote from my heart, and I was honestly a little bit surprised about what came out. But it's the truth. This time, this season of motherhood, is hard. Chris and I have had many discussions about discipline, about how to deal with certain behavior, and about how we hope to steer Elli as she grows. We're not perfect, and neither is she (though her grandparents might disagree with me there!). She throws fits sometimes, she screams, she cries, I react, 2nd guess and sometimes regret the way I handled the situation. But each and every night I pray that the Lord guides me to do the "right" thing during those times. I pray that I'll have a mere second of clarity amidst the chaos and be able to truly see my precious little girl who can't yet explain/communicate correctly yet, and make the decision that best teaches/disciplines her in that moment.

But the crazy thing, the thing I wouldn't have expected from her at such a young age, is that she honestly seems to thrive when we discipline her. Maybe "thrive" isn't the right word. What I mean is that she looks in our eyes when we firmly explain why her choices were wrong/bad/hurtful. She wants to give us a hug and a kiss before we put her back down on the ground (we usually have her in our lap when we're talking to her about fits/tantrums/etc). She wants to know that we forgive her, that we love her, that no matter what she does...nothing will ever change those things. Such an amazing parallel to what (I think) adults want to feel/know. Even though she will continue to make bad choices sometimes, I am starting to see the wheels turning in her head when she's faced with a decision. "Should I run away and laugh when Mommy is calling for me?" or "Should I come when I'm called?" or "This oven looks really fun...maybe I should play with the handle just one more time!". Of course I know she won't always pick the better option, but I can see her growing, learning, analyzing her options now. And it makes me so happy, fills me with such joy, that I'm the one who gets to watch such an important transition in her life! And the responsibility of that has been pretty cool for me as well. I don't think I lose it NEARLY as often as I used to (hmmm...don't ask my husband about that one though! Ha!), and I'm learning that some things really are small potatoes when compared to the big picture. Ummm, that's HUGE for me :)

How about y'all? What's your favorite thing about motherhood? How do you feel about discipline? Has it been a struggle, or pretty easy going? How do your children react? I think sometimes it depends on age, too. Well, all the time really! E is almost 2, but I've heard 3's are pretty rough! I might be singing a different song this time next year! Heehee!! But I'd love to hear some of your thoughts...it's always great to get different perspectives!