Evolving Mom

I used to be a much more controlling mom. I'm not saying I'm cured or anything, but I have made some progress. Serious progress.

Progress not perfection.

It's amazing how my outlook on life has changed as I've incorporated this truth into my mentality.

Letting go of control is liberating. Extremely liberating. So liberating that liberating isn't even a good enough word to describe the freedom one feels.

This morning I caught Caroline with a box of Smurf cereal. She had gotten three measuring cups from the kitchen drawer and was pouring cereal into the cups. Or should I say she was attempting to pour cereal into the measuring cups? More was landing on the kitchen table's bench and floor than the measuring cups. As I went up to the cupboard to fetch a large measuring pitcher I reflected on the progress I have made as a mother with control issues. I poured little blue and white Smurf flakes into the plastix pyrex and handed it off to Caroline so she could go to town with her measuring cups. This way I contained the amount of cereal that would be wasted, but I didn't impede on my toddler's creativity or ingenuity.

It was a win/win. She was happy and I was happy. She was making a mess, but it was on the kitchen tile and could easily be cleaned whenever she decided she was done. Who knows when that will actually be? She is still content with her measuring cups as I type this post.

I may have just shot myself in the foot because this could become her favorite past-time. Smurf cereal measuring is all the rage nowadays. None of her friends get to do it, so it makes it all the more desirable.
It may turn into the new finger painting. Heaven knows we've been doing that five times a day for the past 2 months.

You won't believe this. Caroline just moved the trashcan (you can see it in the photo above) and grabbed the broom (also always readily available as shown in the photo above). She says, "I clean up the cereal." I am afraid to look, as I am sure her clean up will require even more clean up, but inside I secretly cheer myself for being less controlling.

Everyone is happier and I may even be allowing the girl to learn something on her own. Yeah for me.

I'm free. Free at last.

He he. I just read this article titled 25 Things to Do with a Wiggly Toddler.

#2 Put rice in a cake pan and let him pour from cup to cup.


Yeah, I am pretty amazing.