Motherhood

With Mother's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to post something about being a mother. My 2 1/2 year old is every bit a toddler....that includes tantrums, attitudes, and fierce independence, but also includes lots of snuggles, showing off her fun personality, and developing her mind-blowing intelligence. Before becoming a mom, there were so many things I told myself I'd do or not do as mom, and how I expected my child to be. Bahahaha! As you can imagine, many of those ideas and goals of being the perfect mother have gone out the window, because no matter how hard you try, sometimes you just have to pick your battles to keep from losing your sanity. So, here's my list of things I've failed to master as a mother, because simply put: toddlers are a bit of an enigma and have a mind of their own.

1) My child will eat only healthy foods.

Oh, naïve Kelsey, how little you knew. Any vegetables my daughter consumes come in squeeze pouch form disguised in a big serving of fruit. Meat...forget about it, she won't touch the stuff. We have to get her protein intake through peanut butter. She eats pretty much the same thing everyday, and if she could eat Mac N Cheese for every meal, then she would. She doesn't like to try anything new...we would have to literally shove it down her throat, which doesn't sound pleasant for anybody involved so why even try. However, I have to remind myself that she's not starving and she rarely gets sick, so we must be doing something right.

2) My child will only have an hour of screen time a day.

This is the biggest lie of them all. Sometimes watching a TV show or playing on her IPAD is the only thing that calms her down when she's having a rough day (or let's be honest keeps me from losing my mind). She's not in front of a screen all hours of the day, but it's definitely more than an hour total. However, some shows can be great learning tools. For example, I enjoy Daniel Tiger. It doesn't drive me crazy and it teaches kiddos how to handle social and emotional issues.

3) My child won't throw fits in public.

To parents who have accomplished this, what is your secret? Tranquilizers? Her fits are definitely getting better, but she is still two. There are so many emotions running through her little body, and it's hard to remember that she doesn't know how to deal with them yet. We're really working on talking about what she's feeling and showing her ways to calm herself down. But sometimes, I just want to pull my hair out and yell.

But despite it all, I love being a mom and my daughter is awesome. I'm sure many of you moms (and dads) can relate to how hard parenting is. Are there any things you set out to do as a parent that haven't quite turned out the way you expected?