When Littles are Loud, First Things First, Part 1 of 3
Updated: Jan 19, 2020
Listen to Val's podcast episode that coincides with this blog post: Showing Love to Your Child at Different Stages from Toddler to Teen, and Learning to Let Them Grow Up, Episode 3.
Where kids abound, so do unpredictable moments. If you’re the parent of very many littles (you know, the loud but small tikes who roam your home), I can guess that you share some of my same crazy history! I think it’s time for you and I to bond over a little bit of mom-crazy that is brought on by a house full of littles! Can you identify with any of these moments from my life?
*Changed a diaper of an interesting color and realized the baby had been eating a crayon
*Found myself yelling the words, “Be quiet!” (You’d think I have been able to eliminate this character flaw after over 20+ years of parenting, but I found myself rather angrily saying the other day to one of my teens, “quit letting your emotions dictate your actions!”)
*Had a line at least three children deep waiting to talk to me or ask a question
*Started the washing machine, put in soap, and ran the whole cycle before I realized I didn’t remember to put the dirty clothes into the washer
*Had a preschooler try to change an infant diaper without asking permission because she was “trying to help.”
*Had a bar of soap or any interesting item flushed down the toilet that wasn’t supposed to be flushed down the toilet (Do you happen to know how many gallons of hot water it takes to melt down a bar of soap enough to get it to pass on through plumbing? After 80 gallons we stopped trying and took off the toilet. In the pipe we found six Legos, 1 Matchbox car, a few unidentifiable objects, and that pesky bar of soap).
*Re-put in the laundry detergent for a second time… and forgot the clothes for a second time
*And a third time
*Got everyone ready to go except for one shoe and had all family members looking for the shoe for at least 20 minutes until we gave up and headed to the van, only to find out it was already in the van!
*Announced to my children, “Mommy’s going into the bathroom. Unless you’re bleeding or the house is on fire, don’t knock on the door. I’ll be back in a minute,” and within three seconds of entering the bathroom I hear the first knock.
If any of those scenarios sound like your life, then you’re the parent of littles! For being the tiniest bodies in the house, it’s rather ironic that they can be so LOUD.
How are we to get anything done with the other kids when the littlest of the bunch seem to demand our constant attention?! Well, after seven of my own children and now enjoying some grandbabies, I’ve had a few opportunities to trial and error what is important when raising toddlers and preschoolers. I’ve divided this post into three parts. I hope Part 1 of “When Littles are Loud” may bring some relief to your busy household.
