To let them be little...

Sometimes, as mommies, we have to step out of the room that our children are in, usually to do some household task (or if your kids are like mine and mom & dad's bedroom is usually not used as a playroom, but they LOVE to jump on mom & dad's bed, so you have to sneak in there when the kids aren't looking to put away the laundry, because you know it will be a throw down ordeal to get them back out of the room when you're done....but I'm sure no one else has kids like that right?!?) Anyway, on such occasions, I sometimes come back to wherever the boys are and find them doing silly things, for instance, riding the bus. I guess they don't get the whole concept that the "Little People" that are supposed to go in there are not necessarily referring to themselves.

The other morning I had gotten the boys set up with their toothbrushes and left the bathroom for MAYBE a minute & a half, tops. This is what I came back to:

I think the exact words out of my mouth were, "Wyatt James!! What do you think you're doing?!? Be still while I get the camera!" Picture taken (with him saying "CHEESE!") and then followed by, "No sir! We do not play in the sink!!" I don't think Dr. Sears or Spock or whatever that child-raising guru's name is would approve of that discipline tactic, but one day, I want to remember finding him in the sink!

I saw a saying the other day in a magazine that I loved, well a couple actually. They were on signs that you would put in your house. One said something to the effect of "Please excuse our messy house, the kids are making memories" and the other was "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things." Both of these simple sayings touched my heart. I have come to realize that sometimes I feel as if I make too big of a deal over things that the boys do that I perceive as things they shouldn't be doing. I am trying to make a conscious effort to take a step back before I start to punish them and think, "Yes, this will be more for me to clean up, but is it hurting anything or anyone? Are they having fun?" By no means am I thinking about throwing discipline out the window...I don't really want my kids to be brattier than they already are...and I don't want them to be those kids that nobody wants to be around either. But still, I do think kids learn through experiencing things, messy as they may be. So, I'll let you know how my new approach is going...and you all let me know if my kids start turning into "those kids" that you hate to be around!!