Attitude

I think all successful mothers must share this one thing in common: a good attitude. 

I am sure of it. 

Because when I have a good attitude, I find that the grace of God for me and my everyday reality flows so easily.  It is so tangible.  I am able to "stop and smell the flowers" so to speak. 

I see the joy in the smile and laughter of my young children. 

I laugh in the face of spills, messes, bickering. 

I can see the world through the eyes of my curious two-year-old, unrolling that roll of toilet paper for the hundredth time, and understanding that she is not trying to make Mommy mad, she is just curious about that rolling paper.

I can engage in a game of pretend with my four-year-old, going with her on wild adventures and finding lost treasure in far off lands.

I have more energy.

I can unleash creativity in many areas in relation to my girls--including discipline.

Everyone in the whole house is so.much.happier.period.

Sadie, as a newborn, had colic.  She would cry and cry and cry and cry and cry.  I remember feeling so helpless, so stressed at the sound of my precious girl screaming and me not having the capability to soothe her.  She didn't sleep well either. 

About four or five months into her life, I was over it.  She was waking up 3 or 4 times in the night, every night.  I was lonely and miserable.  I was so tired that I had no energy to spend with friends, no joy for life....I was just plain exhausted.

One day I was having coffee with one of my closest friends, Kristin.  At the time, she had only one child, her darling son, who had/has given her a run for her money concerning sleep as well.  Yet, I remember watching her success as a person despite the lack of rest she was encountering.  So, I asked her how she was doing it.  I asked her "How are you making it every day when you have no energy at all?"  Her answer:

"I choose to have a good attitude about it."

That statement changed my life.  I understood for the first time that the way to be okay each day was in my power.  It was by the power of choice.  It lay in my attitude and how I chose to think about my day.

And it still is the same today.  I have three children under the age of five and one is a newborn.  As every mother knows out there, that equals minimal sleep every night.  But when I go to sleep at night and wake up each morning with an awareness of my attitude and an understanding that the success of me as a person, me as a mother, and me as a wife lies in my choice to have a good one, it makes all the difference! 

Another friend of mine who had a girl and twin boys all under the age of two shared with me that she just stopped talking about how tired she was.  That was her solution.  And I took her advice, and it made a load of difference for me too!  I stopped reminding myself of how tired I was [not to mention reminding everyone else too :-) ] and it helped me to keep my attitude strong.

I'll finish this post with a quote that a YWA* speaker said: "My potential is in my will and God's will is my potential."  Ponder that one :-)