I wouldn’t consider myself a whole-hearted optimist, but I do try to see the world through rose colored glasses. My husband often has to remind me not to be so naive when it comes to new people and new situations, but I really do try and give the benefit of the doubt…most of the time. However, the world looks far, far different when you’re looking at it through toddler colored glasses. Albeit in this particular instance the glasses do happen to be pink, the view certainly isn’t always rosy. Here are just a few instances where a toddler perspective isn’t exactly what was intended.
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. Especially when said objects are shoes flying at your head from the backseat of a moving car.
Our policy is not to negotiate with terrorists. Or toddlers in the middle of a tantrum, which is inevitably at the beginning of the meal at a restaurant or when you are waiting to check out at the grocery store with a full cart.
Don’t forget to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. With crayon and/or marker. All over the walls. When nobody is looking. In sneaky places that won’t be found for weeks.
May cause drowsiness. Alcohol may intensify this effect. Use care when operating a car or dangerous machinery. Is it bedtime yet? Or better yet, it’s five o’clock somewhere, right?
Please follow instructions explicitly. Or, do the exact opposite of what I say. Every. Single. Time. And then run away laughing.
Caution :: Contents may be hot. And will completely melt down into a complete, inconsolable mess unexpectedly for no apparent reason.
Finally, and probably most importantly…
If you are traveling with children or others requiring assistance, put your oxygen mask on first before offering help.
Seriously? Save myself and THEN my child? I spend every minute of every day trying to keep her safe and protected. My mantra has been that I will do anything to make sure she is happy and comfortable, and you’re telling me to put on MY oxygen mask first? That is a hard concept to grasp. It’s taken me two and a half long years to even get to the point where I can remotely see why this would be important. I’m not saying I’m quite there, but I am trying.
I’ve gone through long periods of time where my anxiety levels were through the roof. I was so adamant about being on top of everything for her and making sure anything in regards to her needs was done the right way {whatever I had deemed that to be}, that I stopped taking care of myself. I completely ignored my physical, mental, and emotional needs, and solely focused on the needs of my daughter. I completely and utterly fell apart, bit by bit. It took a while, but after a long stretch of unnecessarily anxious days, I finally realized I can’t be the best mother to my baby if I’m not the best version of myself, first and foremost. I started making my needs a priority as well.
As mothers, we are programmed to put ourselves on the back burner. It is so easy to forget how important it is to take care of ourselves. We are quick to blame lack of time or energy, but I can’t stress enough how badly we need to make time for our personal needs. I can’t say that I’m wearing that mask first, but I’d say there is definitely a sense of balance in my life that was absent before. When it comes to putting on my oxygen mask before offering help, I am still not so sure I’d delay putting on her mask, but at least I know enough now to make sure we were both safe.
