By: Suzanne Clark

This phrase is so cliché, but when it comes to my children, I mean it with every ounce of my being. It’s easy to say this, and mean it, as I sit here alone on the couch typing in a peaceful house while my husband and three children are sleeping upstairs. Tomorrow is my son’s third birthday. Tonight we had dinner, made cupcakes for his class, and went swimming. It was a calm, predictable evening – one that is easy to cherish and enjoy.

There are times, however, that life isn’t so blissful. There are times that I wonder how I am functioning and how I’ve managed to stay committed to my ‘no-spanking’ rule….believe me, I question my decision frequently. But, after lots and lots of practice, I’ve learned that even in the midst of simultaneous meltdowns by my 3 and 1 year old, I can take a step back and smile. In the heat of chaos when nothing is going right, and children are grumpy and impossible to please, I can still smile. How is this possible??

I’ve taken a lot of time to talk to myself about why I chose to parent and what I expected from parenting. After accepting that there are going to be many challenging times, I reconciled that I would still rather have the experience of being their mother even if they have just thrown themselves on the floor at Target and are screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs. I can cherish these moments just as wholeheartedly as I can the serene, predictable times like earlier tonight on the eve of my son’s 3rd birthday.