Great Children

Behind every great child is a mother who thinks she is not doing enough.

I saw that on face.book the other day, and it couldn't be more true.  I spend most of my days thinking that I'm not doing enough.  I second guess my choices, and every behavior I see from my children, I internalize and make it all about something I'M doing wrong.  Sure, I' have moments of clarity and logic where I realize that Nur and TT are still developing their brains.  They are toddlers.  They are going to have moments of irrational behaviors.  They will act out in inappropriate ways. 

So, how are my children doing?  Most days, I would say pretty well, but let's be honest, some days are downright challenging.

My Nur.  Is it just me, or does he look great in purple?  His little sister, who acts more like his big sister, has been insisting on wearing Nur's clothes.  Which means Nur sometimes has to wear her clothes.  Now he requests the purple coat, and well, it does look good on him.

This boy is smart.  Really really smart.  I could give so many examples, but one that comes to mind is, I recently hired a cleaning service.  They had only been to our house twice already.  Then one morning last week, the cleaning car drove by our house, and Nur yells, "The cleaning ladies are here!"  This boy remembers things I don't even remember.  He is so observant, and so kind.  But, he still can't take off his shoes. Actually, I think he can do it, but he won't.  Instead, he will cry when we ask him.  Asking him to pull down his pants always invokes a strong reaction from him and a fit of crying.  Take this boy out of a routine, and it's like starting WW III.  Yes, we have some triggers with Nur. 

He is on a waiting list to be checked to see if he is on the autism spectrum.  I called a great place in our city, which is when they informed me that the wait is 5-7 months.  I don't know what's going on with Nur, but I know he needs some sort of intervention, and I can't even remember how long ago I called, but I feel like we are 2 months into the wait already. 



And then there is TT.  She can seriously be the sweetest child you've ever seen.  I've caught her stealing hugs and kisses from Nur, and she is always loving up on me, but man, I don't know if I've ever known a naughtier child.  At church school this past week, she hit a boy that just wanted to play with her.  She acted out, and I was so embarrassed! Her hitting has gotten better, but she'll still wack someone when she gets emotional or frustrated.  Developmentally, she's doing great, but this child who can be so sweet, can also be so darn stinky.  I feel like half my days are just saying no and disciplining this child, which is not fun for anyone.

As a Mom, I sit and think, maybe if I did this, or that, or got them involved in XYZ, worked less, played with them more, and the list goes on. . .  and on. . .  and on. . .

Happy Wednesday!