His Many Ages

BoyTwo is almost eight years old, but inside that little body of his is a little baby who needs to be loved, a toddler who needs help learning the most basic of toddler tasks, a little boy who is beginning to want friends, and someone who thinks he is fifteen because of things he has seen and done.

I have a really hard time parenting this. I never know who he is. He can be three one minute, one the next and seven after that. Other times he thinks he is fifteen but he is really two. It makes my brain hurt sometimes. It's a horrid guessing game. He is a little ping pong ball pinging (literally, the child is a wee bit hyper) all over the spectrum of behaviors, emotions and ages.

It was easier to face each day when we hosted BoyTwo because I already loved him and I knew that my time with him was so short. He was on loan to me and I had precious little time with him to attempt to cover an entire six years of love and mothering before I had to return him.

A couple of days ago I read something on another blog that spelled it out for me. I am so sorry that I do not remember where I read it so that I could give credit where it is due. This woman is an answer to my months of praying about how to parent this child of mine. Basically, this is what she said,

"When I talk to him while I do regular, daily things, I talk to him as if he is his age. When I teach him, I teach him as I would a toddler. Very patiently and basically, with repetition and a little voice (you know that voice that you pull out when you tell your little kid 'look, it's a rainbow!'). When I love him, I do it with the tenderness and words that an infant would respond to."

People!! This is my how to! This is what he needs. This is what I needed to see to help me better understand what is happening and how to deal with it. I love and am so grateful that Heavenly Father answers prayers. I know that He knows each of my children perfectly and along with that knows what they need. I love that He knows my kids better than I do! It's so great to have that resource! I know that these children that have been entrusted to me are on loan from my Heavenly Father and that I have precious little time with them to love them and teach them. When I think of my time with them from this perspective, it changes how I feel about the 'daily grind'. It makes it easier to feel love toward them. It makes it easier to be patient with them. It makes it easier to bail them out of the principal's office, spoon feed them, and clean their pee off the floor, wall and toilet seat ten times a day:).

I know that Heavenly Father knows and loves His children so much. I am so grateful that He will help me out when I fall so short because I am His child, too.