One of Those Not-So-Great Mommy Days

I hate having days like this.

For the most part, it was a great day. I have to say that to start off with. :)

But, the past few nights have been tough for LBB...he's fought sleep, been having issues with getting scared, woke up in the middle of the night, and only would go to sleep if we balanced on one toe while singing Old MacDonald backwards and spinning a plate on a bowling pin. OK...so that last part is a bit of an exaggeration, but that's what it felt like. Haha.

So, mix lack of sleep, a cranky toddler, and a fight whenever the word "nap" or "bedtime" is mentioned, and it led to today's Not-So-Great Mommy day.

See...when LBB gets tired, he doesn't just get a little cranky.

When LBB gets tired, he turns into a little warrior. On the warpath and angry at everyone he sees. :) So, if you say, let's change your stinky diaper, and he's overtired and exhausted, you can bet you'll be the target of an onslaught of arm-flailing smacks. If you tell him "No" he yells it right back. And, if you happen to be a sweet, innocent, Cat #2, you are just the perfect candidate for being smacked with a Hot Wheels track or having a ball thrown at your head. :(

Now...before you think I've got some maniac living in my house (well, it sure sounds like it from what I described, but I promise I don't), you have to know that this mostly only happens when he's tired. :) He has his moments, sure, but all in all he is a great kid who does pretty well with controlling himself. All in all. :)

Anyways...all this led to a Mommy who lost her patience, snapped a bit, and just in general, got a little flustered.

And as I sat there telling LBB that his attitude was downright stinky (ok, I wasn't telling, I was snapping), a little voice popped in my head.

"Your attitude isn't much better right now."

What? But, LBB's temper is just...

"Your attitude isn't much better right now."

Ah. Got it, God. :) Not really a little voice, but I suppose when it's coming all the way down from the Heaven's, it's not going to be loud and booming. :)

So. I dropped the attitude. Sat on the floor in front of LBB. And apologized.

Yes, I know. I apologized to a toddler who was acting just as (if not more) deplorable as me. But, here's the thing.

I'm the adult. I can control my temper. And I should be able to have keep my calm even when the 18 month old in the house is not. I am responsible for every action I make, and while he is in the process of learning that he needs to behave and have pleasant manners, I have learned those lessons already.

And it is only through my actions that he learns.

By the grace of God, I've been blessed with that wonderful 25 pound blessing. It's not something I ever take lightly, and sometimes it's easy to let the exhaustion and worry take over. But, thankfully tomorrow is another day.

Another day to wake up.

Smile.

Hug my LBB.

And start the whole adventure all over again.

But...this time watching how I react to those volatile toddler moments.

*Interesting footnote...I read an article or something a while back, and they were talking about the cause of temper tantrums and hitting and all that. The one thing that really stuck with me was the fact that toddlers are at a point in their lives where they are developing feelings of anger and frustration, but since they don't know how to vocalize it, they throw tantrums and hit and such. I just thought that was interesting...it explains LBB's temper and such. He hits when he's tired, but since he doesn't know how to vocalize it, and really doesn't want to admit that he is, he hits out of frustration. There's so much energy packed into that little frame that it has nowhere to go but out.