Okay, not really. Perfection is not really what we are striving for as the journey is an evolving one with the ebb and flow of ever changing needs and circumstances. Today, this is what I told myself as I dealt with an unwilling participant at naptime. He had fallen asleep for mere minutes in the car while out running errands with a friend and subsequently decided he was not interested in napping at his regular time this afternoon. So my normal response would be to get angry and try to exert some sort of control over the situation, thus perpetuating my anger and frustration and down the spiral we go. Today, I took a breath, in fact I took many breaths, and I met the situation where we were at. We sang, we rocked, we cuddled, he struggled, but I stayed calm, present explaining I knew he was having trouble settling down, but it was naptime and momma would stay with him until he was ready and comfortable. He rubbed his eyes, sucked his thumb, cuddled his blankie all the while saying "no, don't want" for almost an hour. Then it came, the moment when he surrendered to the now and his own immediate needs and he relaxed. I laid him in his warm safe bed and watched him for a few moments before walking out and closing the door. His perfect little form snuggled under his blanket in that sweet state of slumber.
Being present gave us the space to deal with our needs, embracing those needs allowed us to meet them in a compassionate way. A tiny lesson learned for this moment, today.
Perfect.
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1 comment:
Beautiful lesson in this story. So hard to remember, especially at the end of a long day. My agenda says it's bedtime. Go.to.sleep! I sometimes yell. Compassion for our own children, though, is what they deserve. Thanks.
Found you through mommazen comments.
Cheryl
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