A Blur of Emotion

I know I love Ayden as much as humanly possible, but love, unfortunately, isn't the only emotion that comes with the whole parenting package!!! Let me see...there's worry, fear, dread, impatience, anger, sadness, anticipation, regret, excitement and joy...just to name the first that came to mind! My precious little boy seems to have mastered the art of being able to take me through the whole kaleidoscope of emotions in 1 minute flat! Ayden sometimes chooses to begin our day with "Wrestle Mania - Preschool Edition". Upon waking up and affixing our eyes on the day ahead, our first bump in the road tends to come with having to get dressed. This particular match is usually accompanied by kicking feet, crying, swinging arms, and the constant muttering of "my don't like that". After ringing the bell on that match, before blood is shed, I usually have Chris hold him up while I tackle Ayden with clothes.....and of course, he doesn't like them! Well, sometimes that is just what it takes. Does that make me a horrible mommy?

Then, let us recollect the days that he chooses to be Evil Knievel. Typically this starts with a sneaky quietness, followed by a loud whooomp, and shrieking laughter. My little daredevil, when caught in action, is either leaping from the arm of my couch, soaring over the back of the loveseat, or sitting/standing on the kitchen counter. The whole "no jumping or climbing on the furniture" rule is well established and therefore isn't a new concept -- to my knowledge! So, my little Evil Knievel is typically banished to the time out chair (not that he minds!). In those few moments after seeing him soar through the air like Super Grover off the couch, I can literally feel the last few fragments of patience and control, over my emotions, being sucked straight out of me! Once he manages to calm down, I join him for the "do you know why I sent you to time-out" conversation, that I tend to have with him through still clenched teeth. Immediately following the shameful and mumbled admissions of guilt, he looks up at me with the most angelic face, brown eyes sparkling, and flashes the sweetest smile I have ever seen.....and says "I love you mommy". My anger and frustration melts away like ice cream on a hot summer day! How do they do that???? They are so proficient at taking you from anger to mush with just a few precious words!!!