For two days this week, I had the pleasure of entertaining our three grandchildren, ages two, 21 months,and three months. I've loved observing their behavior and watching them do things that I never seemed to have time to dwell on when ours were toddlers. It has also brought back memories, some good, some bad, and most humorous. Take, for instance, the incident I recorded in my journal a few years ago:
"Yesterday I went shopping for a birthday gift for somebody at the trendy clothing store where all the young women shop. I had with me two sons, ages 7 and 3. I lectured them thoroughly before we went inside that they were to behave themselves while I shopped. They vowed to be sweeter than angels. But somehow, when they got inside and saw all the clothes dangling temptingly from the rods, and the neat little nooks and crannies which made perfect hiding places, they forgot their promise. They simply couldn't’t resist the temptations. As I perused the clothes and gift items, I ran into an older woman who I had always thought was very charming and sophisticated, not to mention someone who always seemed “together.” She told me what cute little boys I had. She had to say something; they had interrupted me three times in our five- minute conversation, so I could hardly ignore them. When she walked away I turned to reprimand them severely, but they had vanished. I tried to look nonchalant and collected as I searched the store, and just as I encountered the same gracious lady at the cash register, they jumped out from behind the counter and went, “Agggghhhh!” I was so embarrassed!
When we got back in the car, I made it crystal clear that I was disappointed (to put it mildly) at their behavior. I told them we were going to the grocery store (I am such a sadist), and there would be NO treats for them and that they would be on danger of extinction if they acted up. They reacted typically; the sensitive 7-year-old withdrew into a little slump on the front seat, while the younger one was slightly penitent but insisted that his brother “made” him run around in the store. I think he really wanted to make me feel that it was my fault for taking him in there with all those temptations in the first place.
We had slightly better results in the grocery store. The older child was perfectly behaved, wanting to make reconciliation with me. The younger one was a bit less cooperative. He asked for four different packs of bubblegum (which he did not get), took off his socks and shoes, and drug his little feet on the floor to slow down the buggy. I saw another mother (of only two children). She commented on our somewhat unique family structure, and said, 'Why don’t you write a book?'”
It was comments like these that inspired me to share what I think today's young mothers need to hear. Children are at times tiring,embarrassing,frustrating, and absolutely worth every second that we spend with them. The day I came home from that shopping trip, I needed to hear that reassurance. Now I'm in a position to give it. I want all you wonderful young moms to know that it's SO worth the short-lived moments of stress.
