Two Different Versions of Wonderful

Before I became a parent I was an idealist.

I had the misconceived notion that I would be fair with my children.  That punishments would be consistent for them and that they would receive equal measures of my time and resources.  I would love my children exactly the same way.  I had visions of an orderly house with cute little shelves for all of their heirloom-quality wooden toys and books and educational games.  No character toys or cheap plastic would adorn their floors or be scattered underfoot.  Not in my house.  My children would have amazing closets and all of their clothes would be adorable and organized.  My imaginary children were always clean and loved to help me out around the house.

But I was very, very wrong.  Here is a little glimpse at reality.   

CurlyQ & Little Man

CurlyQ & Little Man

I’m the mother of two natural wonders:

CurlyQ: Our daughter “CurlyQ” is a typical, yet extraordinary seven year old girl.  She blows us away with how smart she is. She reads extremely well and understands complicated concepts.  She has an extraordinary propensity for math and science. She is wise beyond her years.  She is also remarkably kind and sensitive to the needs of others and is friendly beyond measure. Because she is mine, I believe she is the most beautiful little girl that God ever made – inside and out.  There isn’t a bit of meanness in her.

CurlyQ

CurlyQ

But that sweet, wonderful child is the slowest little girl on the planet when it comes time for her to get dressed or do anything routine. Everything has to be perfect.  Savored. Treasured. Finished.  She can leave no TV show partially watched, no book partially read, no game partially played, and she is incapable of stopping a task that she isn’t completely finished with to move on to the next thing.
Little Man

Little Man

Little Man: “Little Man” is the polar opposite of his sister.  He is three and he is everywhere.  He is the reason that childproofing equipment was invented.  While CurlyQ waited to take her first steps when she was certain that she would be completely successful at 13 months old, Little Man was swinging his leg over the side of the crib and climbing down unassisted at 9 months.  He is equally as smart as his big sister and possesses similar charm, but his wit and sense of humor definitely stem from his father’s genes. He is a funny little guy.  And he thinks he is SpiderMan and gets angry when I call him my “baby boy”.

 

Curly Q wants to be a doctor, teacher, or a mommy when she grows up.  She is already working on her skill-set for all three: she studies anatomy books for fun and loves to boss her little brother around at any given chance.  She forms rules for every activity.

 

Little Man simply wants to be just like his daddy when he grows up.  His aspiration is to just “be a big man”.  While his sister still asks for permission to grab a snack out of the kitchen, it isn’t uncommon to find him trying to grab a cheese stick out of the fridge or a napkin to wipe the chocolate off of his sneaky little face.

 

Both of these very unique souls have changed my life.  That isn’t a quality that is unique to me.  Children will change anyone’s life.

They have strengthened the relationship I have with my dear husband.  I’ve learned that this isn’t always the case with many couples but that is what it has done for us.

Parenthood is not at all what I envisioned it to be back when I was dreaming about it.  It is way better.

My husband tells me that our children and our life together is beautiful because our love for each other is beautiful.  Yes, he really is that sweet.  And yes, I believe he is right.  Because it isn’t the perfect house that makes a home.  We are definitely not living in our dream house.

Our home is what it is because of the love that made it all happen in the first place. And it is that love I am clinging to as we inch along toward the looming “teen years”.

Now that I am a parent, I am a staunch realist.  And I have no idea what is for dinner tonight.

 

Jennifer Collins

About Jennifer Collins

Jennifer is a mom with a day job and she likes to write about her victories and messes along the way. She is living an adventurous life as a Georgia transplant learning to thrive in Maine, with a strong Southern accent that screams that she is "from away" and a new-found love for lobster rolls and timely snow plows. Jennifer's writing has been featured on BlogHer, iVillage Australia, Daddy Doin' Work, and Mamapedia.