You’re Only As Happy As Your Least Happy Child

Have you every heard this expression? I have a very good friend who always says this, and I believe it to be true. If you’re a mommy reader, I think you’ll be able to relate.

It’s Monday evening, and I officially began writing my book today. I completed the outline last week, and got it back from my editor this weekend. There weren’t too many corrections, I was happy to learn. This morning, I dropped my babe off at school, and then I took to Starbucks. I worked from home last week, and was starting to lose all self respect. It went something like this– shower, put on cozy sweats, leave in the minus 25 with wet hair, carpool, and back home to work. At  least I had enough self respect today to put on a pair of skinny jeans, some blush and lip gloss, and leave my house.

And while I am enjoying the incredible ride my Blog and book have taken me on, and my hubby is getting his groove back at work, my kids have been off lately. My big son had a very tough week last week. He woke up unhappy to go to school and complained about a few things that bothered him.  He was crying, not eating, and not himself (well the eating part was himself. He hardly eats, period). But, he usually LOVES school.  So I emailed his teachers last week to see what was going on. There were a multitude of things that transpired last week, but in the end, I will NEVER let him miss a week of school again. When he missed the first week back while we were in Florida, he fell behind. And unfortunately for him, he is EXACTLY LIKE HIS MOTHER and panics when he falls even a little behind. I can’t blame him. I was the exact same way. Anyhow, he is all caught up now, and awoke and came home happy today, so I’m thankful.

My three year old also started mildly stuttering about 6 weeks ago. At first it was a little “I-I-I want the cup.” But this weekend it got so bad, I began to cry just watching him. He becomes completely stuck sometimes when he tries to speak. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it definitely happens. And today when I picked him up from school, he could barely get the words out in the car. Coincidentally, this also happened to my big son at the exact same age of three, and we saw the North American leader in stuttering (who just happens to live in Montreal). She said to give him a little time, and that the stuttering would stop out of the blue, just as it had come on. That was exactly what happened. But after I put my little ones down for a nap this afternoon, I couldn’t fight back my tears. Watching him struggle to get the words out was physically paining me. I was totally drained.

And during all of this, I realized we’re only as happy as our least happy child. I finally feel I have such balance in my life… the perfect balance in fact. I have enough time to keep my brain stimulated and occupied with something I love, and I get to be there for the boys. For me, it’s the best of both worlds. But my big boy was upset last week, and my baby is struggling. So in the end, how good is it all?

Wow, this is starting to take a somber turn. No, it’s not my intention. I’m just pointing out, that as moms, we can’t rest easy until our children are settled. Am I alone? Does anyone else feel the same way? Everything else in life takes a backseat even if one child is off.

The good news is, I spoke to the same speech specialist on the phone this afternoon, and she feels his speaking will clear up just the way my other son’s did. I’m praying she’s right. In the meantime, she told me to tell him that sometimes it can be bumpy when you’re learning to speak, and that I should reassure him that everything is going to be alright. What a concept. Life can be bumpy for anyone, and it’s nice to have someone there to reassure you that everything is all gonna work out.

On that note, the Bachelor is on in the background, and I hear “Mommy, mommy” loud and clear from the next room. Gotta run ladies.

Until next time. Thanks for reading. It means everything to me.

xoxEDxox