Lesson Learned

Each year we meet our friends at Due West Methodist Church's pumpkin patch for an annual picture... each year adding more babies :)

This year Brooklyn just wasn't in the mood... not to be social, not to smile for a picture, overall, she just didn't want any part of it.  The problem was "I" was in the mood... I wanted my girls to sit, smile, look cute, and just be perfect little girls.  (Pretty high expectations for 3 toddlers, huh?).  I kept telling Brooklyn she had to sit for the group picture AND smile.  (Proof in the finger-pointing in the picture below- which I'm not exactly proud of).  And the more I told her to, the more upset she got.  I was so frustrated.  To the point that we left immediately and she got in trouble once we were in the car.

After she calmed down, she fell asleep immediately (which was not normal for her at this time).  And I called my friend, Melissa, on the way home to vent.  However, I didn't get the conversation I thought I was going to get... Melissa, a mom of four- ages 4-14, gave me some much needed, hard-to-hear, wisdom... 

"Kelly, did she get in trouble because she did something wrong or because she didn't do what YOU wanted her to do?"

Wow.  Well, that changed my outlook quickly.  Brooklyn hadn't done anything wrong.  How do I feel when I'm forced into an uncomfortable situation?  

Today was definitely a lesson in parenting for me.  One of ba-jillions I have to learn.  My expectations can't be set on what I  want or what other people's kids do/don't do... only on what's right/wrong.  True, there's a lot of gray area in between; and it's also true that we can work on areas of weaknesses... but, obviously, not in the way I did today.

I know in the big scheme of life this is just a little thing, but I think it's important to learn lessons in little things so that we can apply them when the bigger ones come.  

So today: lesson learned for me.

{All in all, still some of my favorite kiddos!}

Top: Lucy, Brock
Middle: (my finger), Brooklyn, Colby, Hadley, Dylan, Maddy holding Denver, Luke holding Anna Kate, Caleb, AJ, Brodey holding Sophie
Bottom: Emma, Lyla, Ava, Levi, Bryson