{happiness in motherhood}
I was at the dentist's office with the kids yesterday afternoon. Three of the kids were happy, one was not..... pretty typical of life in our family. (Pretty typical of life in most families with multiple kids, I am guessing.) In big families, it seems someone is always upset about something.
As we waited for the elevator, a man cleaning the building chuckled at our scene and said, "A mama is only as happy as her unhappiest baby. Mama, with four babies, I bet you ain't ever happy!" I was amused by his comment.
For some reason, I found myself thinking about it again today.... mostly thinking, "Thank goodness it is not true!" Can you imagine if I could only be happy when all of my kids were happy? I would be a miserable person. As a good friend just commented on FB when I shared this story, I would be bipolar if my mood depended on their moods!
In some tiny way, though, there is a bit of truth to his observation. No matter how happy you have been up until that second, the moment your child starts throwing a fit, your fun is at least momentarily over. The success of a family outing, for example, pretty much hinges on the moods of everyone involved. As a parent, your enjoyment of a meal out at a restaurant is dependent on the behavior and moods of your children. The length of time you get to stay at a party or get together with your kids is completely determined by your children; you watch them for hints that it is soon time to go for a nap, bedtime, mealtime, downtime, etc. The length of your phone conversation with a friend or chat with another mom on the sidewalk at school pick up can be shortened by an unhappy child. The list goes on.
I remember an evening a few months back that did not go so well. Ben was out of town for the week. Our babysitter had Luke at baseball practice and I had Drew and Katie with me at Gracie's choir concert. I remember sitting at the concert and really, really enjoying myself for the first couple of songs. Drew was listening to the music, and Katie was on my lap looking quietly at a book. The music was great and Gracie kept making eye contact with me to smile.
And then, just like that, the spell was broken. Katie went from calm to a crazy tantrum in 2.2 seconds. I had to scoop her up kicking and crying and leave the concert so she would not disturb the other families. My own mood also did a complete 180 in a matter of a minute. I was so unhappy to miss the end of the concert that I couldn't shake my bad mood for the rest of the evening.
In moments like that one, a child can have an awful lot of control over her parent's happiness. Maybe there is a bit of truth to his observation then?
There is no reason behind this post or rationale behind sharing it today......it is a quiet house, the sun is shining, the coffee is good, and I felt like writing.
As we waited for the elevator, a man cleaning the building chuckled at our scene and said, "A mama is only as happy as her unhappiest baby. Mama, with four babies, I bet you ain't ever happy!" I was amused by his comment.
For some reason, I found myself thinking about it again today.... mostly thinking, "Thank goodness it is not true!" Can you imagine if I could only be happy when all of my kids were happy? I would be a miserable person. As a good friend just commented on FB when I shared this story, I would be bipolar if my mood depended on their moods!
In some tiny way, though, there is a bit of truth to his observation. No matter how happy you have been up until that second, the moment your child starts throwing a fit, your fun is at least momentarily over. The success of a family outing, for example, pretty much hinges on the moods of everyone involved. As a parent, your enjoyment of a meal out at a restaurant is dependent on the behavior and moods of your children. The length of time you get to stay at a party or get together with your kids is completely determined by your children; you watch them for hints that it is soon time to go for a nap, bedtime, mealtime, downtime, etc. The length of your phone conversation with a friend or chat with another mom on the sidewalk at school pick up can be shortened by an unhappy child. The list goes on.
I remember an evening a few months back that did not go so well. Ben was out of town for the week. Our babysitter had Luke at baseball practice and I had Drew and Katie with me at Gracie's choir concert. I remember sitting at the concert and really, really enjoying myself for the first couple of songs. Drew was listening to the music, and Katie was on my lap looking quietly at a book. The music was great and Gracie kept making eye contact with me to smile.
And then, just like that, the spell was broken. Katie went from calm to a crazy tantrum in 2.2 seconds. I had to scoop her up kicking and crying and leave the concert so she would not disturb the other families. My own mood also did a complete 180 in a matter of a minute. I was so unhappy to miss the end of the concert that I couldn't shake my bad mood for the rest of the evening.
In moments like that one, a child can have an awful lot of control over her parent's happiness. Maybe there is a bit of truth to his observation then?
There is no reason behind this post or rationale behind sharing it today......it is a quiet house, the sun is shining, the coffee is good, and I felt like writing.
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