Taking one for the team

I'll never forget leaving the hospital that day and arriving home with this bundle of joy and thinking to myself, "Seriously? They let us leave the hospital with him and now we're on our own? Where's the manual to tell us what to do?" It didn't take long to figure it out but just as you get comfortable things change. Crawling happens, then walking, the talking, the solid foods........so many changes. With each change there is happiness of a growing baby, learning new things, and seeing them become their own person and then there is sadness is knowing they are slowing moving farther and farther away from the baby stage. They try your patience, push your buttons, and can make you laugh and cry all in the same breathe.

As they get older you adjust. You adjust your schedules, the foods they eat, and how you parent. You adjust the things you talk about and the details you give them. You adjust many different things. I've adjusted over the years to many, many things and situations. Some good, some bad, and some very difficult. One major adjustment I've made: taking one for the team. You see, I've recently discovered my son is angry at me. He's angry at me about a situation that he thinks is all my fault. Do I know what he's talking about? Yes. Do I see the situation the same way he does? Absolutely not. That's because I have adjusted. I've adjusted the way I share things with him about it. I've adjusted my words ever so cautiously so that they are age appropriate. I've adjusted my responses to his questions. Why have I adjusted these things? To protect him and to protect his heart. It's not my job to push my feelings or opinions onto him. It's my job to love him and give him a truth that he can handle. Is it the complete truth? No, but it's a truth that he can handle and process. It's up to him to form his own feelings and opinions about the situation. Until he gets to that point and until he can see the situation for what it is............I'm taking one for the team.