Remember when...

Remember those peaceful years of parenting, you know, the ones before kids?

Where you knew exactly what your days would look like. Homemade play dough and finger paints in the sunshine.  Sweet little bubble baths in the evening. Hand crafted gifts for the grandparents. You knew how everyone would sleep and how you would start your kids off with chores at 6 months of age so they would never question that they had to help out or pick up after themselves. You would NEVER allow your 3 year old daughter to go through 17 wardrobe changes in one day. You would NEVER allow television before the recommended two years of age and even then it would be only 2 hours a week. Guns or any other weapons were an OBVIOUS no no. In fact, your son would not be introduced to the knowledge of a fire arm until age 14.

If your children EVER behaved poorly in a store you would leave that full shopping cart in the middle of the isle and walk right out the door, because everyone knows it's just rude to have tantruming children in public. Your children would delight in fruit for dessert and claim that refined sugar was to sweet for their delicate palettes. You would get frequent compliments about how well behaved your children are because you know how to do it.

These days motherhood isn't quite what I thought it would be, but it's giggles and finger smudges on walls. It's bickering and snuggling. It's reading books and picking up toys. It's clutter and first steps. It's questions and more questions. It's incessant talking and animals in the clouds.

I am blessed. I may have been a better mother 10 years ago, but I didn't get muddy hugs and sloppy kisses. I didn't change diapers or nurse a baby to sleep 6 times a night. I didn't yell and be forgiven by a sweet, beautiful child. So while these aren't the peaceful years of parenting, I wouldn't give up this chaos for anything.