Musings at Mothering

This week will be my second week of my photography class. We only learned camera function and basics last week, but I am super excited to go today and learn more. I really like the instructor and am hoping to get some good stuff out of this. None of these photo's were for my class, but they were among my favorites. I love these pictures from our potty-training boot camp. They remind me of what a great week I had bonding with Caden and Dexter. These pictures also remind me to SIMPLIFY. We did nothing extravagant during potty-training week, but it was a blast. Probably one of my best weeks ever as a mother. I am sure it is because of my total focus on my kids. I am SO usually a go-go mama. I usually get antsy staying at home for too long. I love to go and visit my girlfriends and be involved with community stuff. However, I realize that my children need me at home focusing on them. They are only this little and this impressionable for such a short amount of time. I want every week to be as good as last week was...while this may be slightly unrealistic, I am hopeful that simplifying will continue to improve things around here :)
Yesterday, I taught the Relief Society lesson on prayer and personal revelation. It was a powerful lesson. I learned a powerful lesson in mothering during my time studying this lesson. Caden is a wonderful little boy who is full of imagination and curiosity. However, he has learned a few things (not sure from where because we don't have TV and I am VERY selective about the movies he watches) that I have had a hard time dealing with. Lately, he has started hitting. One time (unfortunately), I had to give him a swat on his bum. It was a horrible thing for me and for him. I felt like it was totally ineffective. My patience with hitting is minimal at best. So, since I had felt that the "swat" was my last ditch effort and didn't work, I was not sure what to do. I really needed help from heaven. Shaune and I prayed together about this, as we were both concerned. Then, one morning while I was reading my scriptures, I felt the Spirit and knew what I needed to do. Sure enough, the phone rang in the morning and Caden (the hitting typically happens when I am on the phone) came over and hit me. Without even a blink, I scooped him up in my arms and hugged him. Then, the tears came. I told Caden how much hitting hurts, not just physically but emotionally. He, too, then started to cry. He could see and feel how painful this was for me. After several minutes of talking about how sad I was and how my feelings were hurt, he really seemed to understand. He asked me, "Can I make you happy, Mommy?" I said, "Yes, by not hitting and by being soft." He smiled and hugged me and asked me if I was happy now...to which I said yes. This was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. In that moment, I felt God's great love for Caden. Because I could feel this, I felt a greater amount of love for Caden myeslf. As a mother, I always think that no one could possibly love my child more than I can. This experience reminded me that there is One who will always love us and our children more than we can. It because of this great love that I could feel a greater sense of love and appreciation for my child. Mothering takes a lot of time and patience...two things I often feel out of, but am realizing now how very important they are in the effort to become more merciful and understanding of our children's individual needs.