:thoughts on motherhood // child of the day:

they wake early but know they cannot get up until 7am. pitter patter before 7am is just ludicrous. they make their way to the bar where they may find anything from muffins to pancakes to breakfast burritos if daddy is cooking. if i'm being honest, on most days, they get cheerios and are perfectly content with the sugar rush provided. i'm perfectly content with the few moments peace while drinking heaven in a cup. usually one of my favorites, the one with the typewriter given by my love or the one with the rad geometric designs given by Alison and Lindsey on our craft weekend last year.

by 8am daddy is ready to leave for work and the first battle of the day commences. who will open and shut the door when daddy leaves?

the battles continue throughout the day. they are not constant but they are consistent. someone always wants to be first. someone always needs to get their way. an internal battle they will struggle with their whole lives. 

when it's time to go outside and play the next battle erupts, who will open the garage?

when it's time for a show, who will pick it?

when it's time to go to the library, who gets to push the elevator buttons?

human nature consumes. we all want to be first, to be heard, to be seen. to have our needs met above anyone else's. 

so......

until they can think of others before themselves,

until they can consider the costs,

until they can be rational,

until they can problem solve on their own,

until they can see the value in their siblings,

we have gleaned from the wisdom of friends who have walked this path before us. 

we have decided that this method works for our family in this season.

enter, CHILD OF THE DAY.

this is not of our choosing. we don't reward a child for being good, hence gaining the child of the day status. no, i am not choosing among my children. i am simply ending battles before they begin. 

on our refrigerator we have a strip of paper that says CHILD OF THE DAY. beneath is we have another strip of paper with our two oldest childrens' name on each side. Every day we flip the strip so that each child is the CHILD OF THE DAY every other day. 

and the heavens open up and sing because these two pieces of paper have somehow eliminated countless battles in my day. 

these two pieces of paper have also been the kick-starter to many conversations about being a peacemaker and a helper. the child of the day has more responsibility. i can gently remind them that they get to be the peacemaker, they get to be the blessing.

we are learning as we go. 

*linking up with carissa for miscellany monday