Proud Mama

When my kids were small I took pride in the same accomplishments most parents do, and for good reason. When a baby learns to sit on their own, crawl, walk, or utter their first words it's a clear indication that growth and development are occurring. Our jobs as parents are to feed, protect, and nurture our children as best as we possibly can so when all of these things come together and a milestone is reached, we have a reason to be proud. 

These are some special moments from last week:

On Thursday Henry managed to complete all the steps of bathroom usage (potty, wipe, flush, wash hands, get dressed) in one event.When he came out of the bathroom and I asked him all of the questions that I usually ask to verify that he did everything necessary, he as able to answer "yes" to everything. I could see his smile getting bigger and bigger with each response.  He started beaming because he for once didn't have to say "no, I forgot."  

On Friday Charlotte accidentally used too much toilet paper and the toilet started to overflow.  She immediately came running and hollering "Mommy, Mommy, we have a flood.  Come quick!!!" She followed me and while I was turning off the water she asked "What can I do?" and I told her to grab towels.  She ran to the linen closet, grabbed an armload and was back to the bathroom so fast that she was able to soak up the water before it started going through the floor. I told her that her quick response and her helpfulness is the only reason we didn't get water damage and she responded in a perfectly Charlotte way by saying, "Oh that's a relief. We have enough projects to do around here." She doesn't sure her excitement as openly but I could see exactly how happy she was to have saved the day.

As my kids have grown I have felt pride in completely different ways and not necessarily in ways that I would have expected. There has been a slow shift from me feeling proud of myself for what I have done to contribute to their successes, to being proud for them for what they are accomplishing by themselves. I'm so glad I get to be home with them so I can witness these moments and share their pride with them everyday.

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