How do they do it?

I’m at the mall and while I’m desperately holding on to my son’s hand who is trying his best to run off, another mother passes me by, walking ahead, while her little boy follows her closely behind.

I’m at a ladies’ get together having left my son at home with his nanny. One of the ladies has brought her son with her. He is sitting on the carpet and playing with his toys. Occasionally he looks up to smile at his mother.

I’m at my son’s nursery and while I’ve deposited him screaming and crying into the assistant’s arms, another little girl walks up to the assistant waiting to take her to class, she turns around to smile and wave goodbye to her daddy.

Sometimes I get envious of other parents who seem to be having such an easy time while I’m struggling with mine. He is sometimes just too clever for his own good and just wants to be independent all the time and not listen to me. His teacher thinks he is really advanced for his age and I tend to agree with her.

At night after creating havoc all day, he comes to me to apologize and tell me that he loves me. He then snuggles with me and falls asleep. That’s when I realize I may well be the luckiest mom around.

Daily Prompt: Green-Eyed Lady

22 thoughts on “How do they do it?”

aww, so well written.. I can sooo relate in every word there… 🙂 patience and love are my mantras… can’t always hold on to them, I get tired sometimes, but, just as you, I literally melt when they tell me they love me (just for the record, my boys are 5 and 8…:) have a great weekend with your boy, Zainab 🙂

znjavid says:

April 4, 2014 at 3:11 pm

Thank you so much for understanding! I’m going for a week of holidays with my son to my homeland Pakistan. I hope he doesn’t drive me crazy.

Reply

Pingback: Daily Prompt: Green-eyed Lady | imagination

Pingback: Jealousy: Daily Prompt | ALIEN AURA'S BLOG: IT'LL BLOW YOUR MIND!

Pingback: Daily Prompt: Green-Eyed Lady | My Atheist Blog

oh, I can relate, as I have a smart one too who does not quite go with the flow. Sometimes I say to myself, he may be a challenge but at least you know his strong opinion, and he has a personality! Sometimes the quiet ones worry me, because they just don’t have much of a personality. I’m positive your little guy does!

znjavid says:

April 4, 2014 at 3:33 pm

Yes he sure does! He really amazes me sometimes with the things he says and thinks. It seems he is processing something all the time. We have to be really careful of what we say in front of him as he’s listening even when it looks like he isn’t. He chooses to answer me at will and it’s often with another question. Smart kids are the hardest to raise!

Reply

I, too, can really relate to this. My eldest is an incredibly affectionate and funny little girl who craves independence, is extremely active and climbs, escapes, screams and runs at every available opportunity. It has taken me a while (and probably the birth of my second, who has a totally different personality) to appreciate that it is not down to my poor parenting – she is just different to some other less ‘spirited’ children ( 😉 ) and so has different dislikes and needs. (Or at least that’s what I now keep telling myself, ha ha)

znjavid says:

April 4, 2014 at 4:06 pm

You don’t know how wonderful it is to find other moms who can relate to this. I also wonder if I am doing the right things with him to positively chanel his energy and imagination. I only have one child and I often end up comparing him with other children. I know I shouldn’t as every child is different. At least life is never boring with him in it.

Reply
- Lydia Devadason says:
  
  April 4, 2014 at 4:31 pm
  
  Exactly! And interestingly, as my little one is bounding around and totally inappropriately grabbing the hands of strangers, my friends say that they wish their children were more independent like mine. Lol. I think a happy medium would be nice but I now strongly believe that every child is different and needs to be handled in his or her own unique way (which by the way I am still failing to do correctly but at least I’ve recognised it as an issue, ha ha).
- znjavid says:
  
  April 4, 2014 at 7:52 pm
  
  Yes it’s so difficult to be a mother and find the right balance and do things the right way the first time round instead of thinking later I should have said that or done that.
- znjavid says:
  
  April 6, 2014 at 1:28 pm
  
  It’s a tough job, we can just do our best.