Mommy vs. Meatball

Take a look at this little meatball.  

Looks innocent enough, right?  

Ha!  Think again.  

Adorable?  Absolutely!  Innocent?  Hardly.

In fact, this little meatball has been stirring up quite a ruckus around here lately.

He's got this momma frazzled, weary, & down right at my wits end come the end of each day.  

He's only a tender age of eighteen months, but let me tell you, he packs a punch in that eighteen month little self of his.

He's figured out that a tantrum in a restaurant will get him out of his high chair {what am I supposed to do, sit there & let him scream while onlookers get me dirty looks?}.  He's decided he can purse his little lips shut & refuse to eat his breakfast, lunch, & dinner.  Oh but don't worry, he'll open wide for a bite of ice cream, a fistful of goldfish, or a bag of Chipotle tortilla chips. And the latest little struggle we're having--nap time.  He has decided that a thirty minute nap will suffice for the entire day.  Ummm, no.  A thirty minute nap is most definitely not enough sleep for a toddler.  Not my toddler, anyways.  A thirty minute nap in this house results in a very crabby baby & an even crabbier momma come afternoon & evening.  A thirty minute nap leads to Meltdown City.  Never been to Meltdown City?  Oh, well by all means, stop on by!  See what it's all about.  You're guaranteed a front row seat to a numerous amount of baby meltdowns, & more than likely a couple of mommy meltdowns, as well.  Fun for all, I tell ya.

Parenting, often times referred to as the hardest job in the world.  Boy, they weren't kidding, were they?

I've been finding myself in a struggle lately; walking a fine line.  Here are all of these characteristics I love about this little boy of mine--his feistiness, his determination, his spunk, his independence, even his bull headedness makes me smile from time to time.  I see a leader, someone who makes friends easily, someone who knows exactly what he wants & goes for it.  And I love what I see. Not one part of me wants to change those things.

Yet, it's also all of these characteristics that I find myself trying to curb when he's acting out.  His strong will working against me, his sin nature, all of his mighty energy used in a negative way--it all makes me want to lower the hammer & nip it in the bud now before that will of his gets too strong for me to handle. 

I've got to find the balance.  

How do I bend my son without breaking his spirit?  How do I nurture the traits inside of him that make him all his own, yet also show him that there is a time & place for that fiery personality?  How do I teach him to stay true to himself--the unique & wonderful child that God made him to be, yet also show him that he must respect, obey, & set his own will aside sometimes?  How do I encourage him that it's okay to stand in who he is, to question things when they don't feel right in his gut, & to not follow in someone else's footsteps, yet also grow him up to be a respectable citizen that follows the rules & submits to those who have been given authority over him? 

I sure haven't got all the answers.  All I do know is, that as a parent, I cannot just sit back & wish for the best.  It's not called the hardest job in the world because you get to just cross your fingers & hope that your kid turns out okay.  It's called the hardest job in the world because it takes work.  Hard work.  Blood, sweat, & tears kind of work.  It means getting in there & getting my hands dirty.  It means fighting the battles that seem menial & worthless.  It means standing my ground when it would be so much easier to give up & give in.  Furthermore, it means falling on my face to the Lord & asking for HIS direction as a mother.  

I know that this toddler stage is just the beginning of the many Mommy vs. Meatball days I'm going to have in my journey through motherhood.  And from what I hear, the toddler years haven't got squat on the teenage years.  Yah I know, I'm in for it.   

If you've got a little spitfire of your own & have some great advice, Christian based books, etc...feel free to pass them along & help a momma out! 

My frazzled self will thank you.

{Oh & wouldn't you know it...as I type this, Meatball is soundly taking his nap & has been for the past two hours.  I guess that little battle I won yesterday at nap time {also known as cry it out}, paid off.  Fruits of my labor.  It ain't easy, but it's worth it.}