These Are The Times...

Princess Anja and Princess Zarah

Ok, you know that whole post I wrote, about savoring every moment... not rushing things... yadda yadda yadda? I just want to clarify that there are times when I DO rush things... at least, I try to. For example: When it's 11:14 at night and your 4-year-old has to have her...ahem... "potty time". Of course, she can't be upstairs alone, so your 3-year-old has to go with her to keep her company. This is one of those times that a little rushing is definitely justified... the only problem is: it's useless. I hear them laughing, singing, talking... THEY'RE definitely savoring every moment. They're not gonna be feeling so "savory" when I'm dragging their tired little selves out of bed in the morning. ;)

This is one of those times when I have a couple of options of how to deal with this. Part of me wants to get irritated and let them know it, hoping that will motivate Zarah to wrap things up a little quicker. Talk in an upset-enough tone that it cuts the giggling and singing. If they're not having fun, it will go faster.

The other part of me knows that if I deal with it in that way, I'll only regret it. It won't really make things go that much faster (there are those things in nature that you just can't rush), and it will hurt my girls' feelings in the process. In an hour, when they're (finally... hopefully) sleeping soundly, all snuggled into bed, do I want to look at them and feel a twinge of sorrow over how I spoke to them? Wouldn't it be better to control myself now, choosing to treat them kindly even though I might be fighting irritation inside?

I'm not saying, pretend that you have all night and bring her tea and cookies while she does her thing... by all means, let her know that she needs to get a move on. Even paddle her precious little bum if she needs convinced that you're serious. But do it remembering that in an hour, you're going to have to look at her sleeping sweetly in her bed, which tends to give you a whole new perspective on things.