I have, by far, the best little boy in the world! Of course, many of you might rebut that, but like my sister once said: "There is only one best child in the world and every mother has him." But really, when you see a smile like this, can you really tell me I'm wrong?
He's truely adorable, a treasure of the most valuable kind - and not just because he's my son - though that goes a long way! This little man is the "happy glue" that keeps us focused on what really matters in life - things like slowing down and taking time to really see things. He's also the one who finds a song in every thing around him, joy in the moment and brings love and laughter to all around him.
And because of this, when he decided to be a two year old (half a year too early) I've managed to survive and get through those strong headed, iron willed, over independent days. Usually with my sanity still in tact. That is until yesterday....Road construction on a nearby road has caused some issues - it's a mess like all road construction - but with my particular needs for last night (I needed to set up for a Relief Society Meeting) and with the possibility of extra kids in the afternoon and not knowing for sure if Bob would have a meeting, well, between it all, I decided I needed to go in earlier. So I did. Three kids in tow. A five year old, 32 month old, and 22 month old. Two were mine. One was not. And we went the long way - because then we didn't have to sit and wait... but the time was about the same.
Things were going well for the first half hour of set up, then Jacob decided he needed to help. So for every three chairs I set up and placed perfectly he tipped one over and Peter tried to fix it and Jacob kept tipping them over. It took a bit longer, but what could I really expect with three little ones in tow!
When we were done with that, it was story time at the library so I thought I'd try it again (it had been months... seeing as the two youngest tended to fall asleep and Jacob had been quite the handful in a place like that). It was crowded! Oh my goodness - I had no idea that story time had grown so much - there was no space and it was spilling out of the reading area. That's great for story time - not so great for someone like me who struggles with crowds - and add to that keeping up with Jacob and well, I was exhausted.
One more stop - because, really, who wants to go back out later with a mess like road construction - so we went to the grocery store to grab a few items. I had a list, we went in just fine, we were doing well - one in the cart, two holding on. Then, he started to wiggle.
Did I mention that although he's not a skinny kid he is able to get out of every - yes, EVERY, buckle he's put in? Car seats - all my kids did that, and I think we've broke him of that habit... I hope. But he does it in the stroller too - turning around and climbing up the back which causes the whole thing to try to fall down - putting a lot of weight on my one arm while I'm trying to grab him with the other.
Well - so much for strapping him into the cart. I was mean - I tightened it really well. He screamed. And screamed. And screamed. He wanted to be like the other two. I got him to talk with me, to ask nicely and we tried him hanging on. It was great for all of a minute - when he found the crackers - and it was, of course, lunch time - so he wanted to open them. And then he screamed because I wouldn't let him. And he screamed some more.
He landed back in the cart - screaming bloody murder for all his was worth.
Have you ever tried to think when you have a toddler screaming to high heaven? Even with a list it was not pretty. And then, to top it off, I couldn't find the flaked coconut!
As I came around the corner, an employee was there. An older gentleman - older then me - and he'd likely been through, or at least seen, this before. I was probably turning a wonderful shade of deep crimson when I asked him, kind of desperately, if they had flaked coconut. They did. He took me right too it. And, very kindly, never mentioned the screaming child in the cart.
We raced off to get the last two things - grapes and corn dogs - I did mention it was lunch time, right? Everyone looked, but thankfully no one said anything and I avoided eye contact because I couldn't bare the possibility of the judge-mental stares - because really, unless you've had kids and gone through this, you just can't understand.
I was blessed again when, though the kid had finally started to calm down - amazing what exhaustion will do for a not quite two year old - a nice lady came and steered my cart to the lane she was just opening, helped me through quickly and kindly got a young man to come and offer assistance out. I have never accepted this kind of assistance before because I was always able to handle the situation. But yesterday, with the little guy in my arms, kicking, screaming, climbing, squirming and so on, I graceously accepted the offer - without which, I don't think I would have made it back to the van.So, yes, the perfect little man has a monster inside, that, fortunately, only rears its ugly head to that degree once every year - maybe twice. But when he saw me this morning, smiling his infectious smile, and then kissed me tenderly as only a sweet and loveable almost two year old can do, I melted again and remembered that he's my gift - my "happy glue" - and all is right in the world again!
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