thank god for bad days

By Sharon M.

Baby Bunchers far and wide know the type of bad day that I just had. It was ONE OF THOSE days. The kind where you put the kids to bed a half hour early because you just can’t deal with one more temper tantrum from an unreasonable 2 year old. The kind that makes you ignore the dirty dishes and sit on the couch with a glass of wine. Even a normal day with my 4 bunched kids is enough to make my husband scream. But THIS day was like a train wreck, even for me! I couldn’t even begin to describe how everything that could go wrong went impossibly wrong. Thankfully, no children were seriously injured in the making of this bad day…but my 2 year old sure did try his best to test those injury limits! When everyone was tucked snugly and reluctantly in their beds, the only thing that hurt was my throat from having to raise my voice too much.

Anyone who has to deal with a newborn and a 2 year old at the same time quickly realizes the potential of these bad days. Believe it or not, I actually appreciate them. Even though it can feel like torture at the time, things do get better once I have had a chance to recover. More importantly, they make me happy for the good days. I learn from the bad and move on to a better tomorrow. Baby Bunching moms develop awesome skills for multi-tasking and adapting. We know that if Johnny spilled his cup of water three times today that we should only fill his cup with a tablespoon of water at a time tomorrow. We know that if our 2 year old raids the pantry everytime he sees us nursing the baby that the pantry door needs to be closed before we start nursing. We know that if our 3 year old only wets her pants whenever she sits in the new red chair that we need to encourage a potty break before she sits in it…or keep her from sitting in it at all! We know that if any of the kids throw up after drinking too much milk all at once that we will have to start limiting the milk.

We learn from our daily child-rearing problems and work out the tiniest details to make everything turn out better. So, tomorrow is bound to be easier because now I know how to avoid the train wreck of today. Tomorrow I will know better than to take all four children to the fancy ophthalmologist’s office down the street. Tomorrow I will know better than to give my 2 year old a blue M&M when he clearly only wants green ones. Tomorrow I will be able to cherish the sweet, quiet moments with my children at home instead of chasing after them in the grocery store. That is why I thank God for bad days!

Sharon M., mother of four (ages 5, 3, 2 and 4 months) www.TheHeartDiseaseGuide.com

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Comments

[ALD]

I love this! Great job Sharon!

[Cristi]

Ophthalmologist’s office, huh??? I can only imagine! I realize how UN-kid friendly places really can be...even those intended for children. Keep up the GREAT work your doing with your 'bunch'.

[Maureen Baeten]

Sharon,

This is a great article! Actually, it's very informative even for those of us without little ones. I believe we take the "higher road" when we thank God for even our bad days and when we have patience for those around us. Thank you for sharing!!

[Paloma]

This is such an interesting blog post! I totally relate to what you're saying. The only way you will have great days are by experiencing and learning from the bad. I love your optimistic attitude!

[Rich M]

You have a good attitude and an abundance of energy. I was thinking about the number of calories that one burns by rounding up kids in the average grocery store. Your article was positive and reflects a very adaptive nature because it seems like things change moment by moment as children naturally learn and grow.

[Lorie]

You are so encouraging! My #4 is due in about 6 weeks and I have been a little, well, uh SCARED TO DEATH. But your blog is really giving me hope. I have a 4 yo girl, 3 yo boy and soon to be 2 yo boy.