When I thought about what I wanted to share on this fine Sunday afternoon, memories came flowing back into my mind. Of course, as I was watching Ari take selfies with each possible theme in Snapchat, and Lily playing with her Rainbow Color Cones and Shape Sorting Cupcakes… I couldn’t help but think of the times when my girls were not as sweet as they were at this very moment.
I couldn’t help but giggle when this one memory came to mind. I mean…it’s funny now, but let’s be real… it definitely was not funny then. Let’s bring us back down memory lane to September 15th, 2016, when Aria was in her Terrible Two’s. Here was my first ever mommy rant on social media.
Mommy Rant of the Day:
Tonight was our Mother-Daughter Date Night! I planned a night of Texas Roadhouse and shopping for me and my little munchkin. The night started out good… I had my usual grilled salmon with caramelized onions and Ari had her mac&cheese and green beans. I had a little trouble eating my food, as she constantly shoved mac&cheese in my face. Okay…she loves to share! With her constant, “One bite, Mommy!” as she blew her spoon to cool down her food… I can already forewarn her future friends that she’ll probably be the mama bear in their little circle. ( She probably takes after me in that matter!) As we were leaving, she wanted a gumball from the machine. I told her no because she would choke on it! Apparently she doesn’t understand and decides to cry all the way to the car. She cooled down after a minute in her seat, and all was well. Or so I thought! On to our next stop…
Time for our little shopping spree! Ari saw the plastic dog at the entrance of Old Navy and wanted to pet it. “Down please, Mommy!” She asked me three times! “Alright…since you asked so nicely. But stay close!” 😒 Before you know it, she pets the dog and then darts! (I love her polite mannerisms! I hate how she takes advantage of it!) I lose sight of her for 2 seconds. Oh thank goodness… a mirror! She stopped to admire her cuteness! I scolded her a little and picked her up to put her in the cart since she wasn’t listening. Oh boy…there it is…oh…she is noodling…again! This girl has mastered the art of dead weight! As she slipped through my fingers down to the floor…she decided to throw the biggest tantrum! Oh great! All eyes on me! 😳 She’s still in dead weight mode as I try to pick her up and fail miserably! After a while, I let her think that she could walk. So when she stood up, I snatched her quickly and we were out! Goodbye, Old Navy! Oh how I hate you so!
As I was about to call it a night…she was her cheery self again! Maybe it was just Old Navy that wasn’t her scene! Okay, let’s head to Kohls! Ari really doesn’t mind sitting in the Kohls buggy, because she’s facing forward! It makes her feel like she’s in control. Yes… finally… a chance to shop with a well behaved child! “Down please, Mommy!” I hear several times and ignore. Heck… I’m not falling for that again! 😊 After I checked out at the register, I planned my escape plan! I decide to tie the shopping bags together so I could hold it with one hand. I then put Ari’s diaperbag on my back, and then I took Ari out of the buggy and put her jacket on her. I said ” Now wait until Mommy…” Shit.. She took off again, and this time out the front double doors of the store! I quickly grabbed the bags, and possibly tipped the cart over in the process. I couldn’t tell… It all happened so fast! Ari knows not to step onto the road without us. We’ve established that at daycare…every time we would cross the street, Ari would be the one to stop us until we looked both ways. She’s smart…but too smart for her own good! Anyways, I wasn’t about to take that chance, and I still scolded her! I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to her! 😢
We walked the rest of the way to the car, as she was holding my hand. As soon as we got to the car…yup, it’s happening again…the master of dead weight awakens! She doesn’t want to leave, so she decides to noodle all the way onto the ground in the freakin’ parking lot! (Mind you…it’s raining!) At this point…I’m done! 😔 I throw my shopping bags onto the ground (without a care if anyone stole those bags) and used whatever energy I had left to lift what seemed like 100 lbs off the ground and into her car seat. Oh what an interesting date night!
On our drive home, she started singing ‘Old McDonald’ and started counting backwards from 10. Proud Mommy resurfaced, and all the troubles this little minion caused tonight was now behind me! Motherhood is hard… But even with a little terror now and then, the pros outweigh the cons, and I wouldn’t have life be any other way! Ari, honey…Mommy loves you, but I think it’s gonna be a while until we do these things again. At least until we have Daddy with us! Lol! 😊
Ending Rant! Embracing Motherhood! 😘
Being a new mother is never easy! And although you’ve read all of the baby books out there or built up an amazing and stable career, you’re never fully ready to take on the responsibility of motherhood. I know that God has blessed me with such a sweet girl, but at that moment, I felt like he was testing my patience. Thank goodness that I had a lot of it! Although, I could’ve felt embarrassed for even wanting to share something so frustrating and personal in my life, especially on social media…it felt great knowing that I had so many mom friends out there who showed so much support and could relate. It was that moment that I knew, I wasn’t in this alone!
With this being said… when you see a mom struggling with her toddler who is throwing a tantrum right in the middle of a crowded store, please don’t be quick to pass judgement that she may be a terrible mother. Believe me… I’ve been there, and there is nothing more reassuring to a mother, especially a brand new one, than having that support and knowing that she is not alone. When you see a mother pushing a cart and ignoring her child whom is crying like it’s the end of the world, it probably is for them…because they didn’t get their way. Don’t be so quick to roll your eyes at her or give her dirty looks because she can’t quiet her child. This technique could probably be a lesson to teach her child that crying will not give them what they want…praise her instead!
Motherhood is the most stressful job in the world, but it is the most rewarding in my opinion. I know that I can thank my girls for transforming me into the person I am today. Everything I do is for them…even when they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Happy Sunday!
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