When my first baby was 18 months old she colored on the walls at the top of our stairs with a red crayon. I marched her to the spot where the crime had occurred and sternly asked "Who wrote on this wall Audery?" My sweet little chubby girl looked me straight in the eye and said "Daddy." Shocked, I insisted "Daddy is not even home! Who wrote on this wall?" Holding her ground Audery blamed the graffiti on our husky dog, Copper. After this confrontation I knew I was in trouble. I had a strong willed daughter and we were hurtling towards the terrible twos at lightning speed. Completely out of my depth, I lamented to my mom about the situation. She recommended the book "How to Raise a Strong Willed Child" by Dr. James Dobson. Quickly I ordered the 25th anniversary edition of the book and started reading. The forward, which was written by Dr. Dobson, stated that if I was reading this book my mom read this book twenty five years ago. Hilariously for me that was the truth.
Nature has a strong will all its own. Trees try to get all the light, water, and nutrients for themselves so that they can grow up tall and strong. The leaves all change colors at different times even if they are the same type of tree. All plants grow to different sizes even if they were planted in the exact same place and at the exact same time. There is nothing uniform, clean, or tidy about nature. There is always dirt and leaves covering the ground. Nature is full of chaotic messy mess. However, despite all the differences in color and appearance, it is still exquisite beyond our comprehension. If everything in nature was the same it would not be as beautiful. Without the chaos of nature we would lose a lot of the elegance that comes out in the gorgeous landscapes.
I have been blessed (maybe cursed) with three very strong willed girls. All of my little independent women have a lot of extreme feelings about different things. Most of the time this makes my life exceptionally more difficult. My days are filled with putting out fires between my three stubborn little ladies. I will try my best to mediate the destruction and the tantrums. However, in the long run they need to learn to handle it themselves. Every once in a while I will get a small glimpse of their natural beauty that comes from working together. The messy destruction around them will be intense but the moments of cooperation will be marvelous. I love these rainbow moments.
Most people have no problem looking past the clutter of a nature landscape to focus on the appealing outdoor picture with all its splendor. My girls playing together is the same. The perceived messiness always makes the loveliness. The toys on the ground and kids climbing all over everything, will create a beautiful chaos. Sometimes my strong minded girls will be yelling one second and then singing with each the next. Every time my girls are working something out together it may seem like total mayhem. There will be yelling, crying, hair pulling, and possibly hitting. There will also be singing, dancing, hugging, kissing, and happiness. Someday they will all realize that their strong wills are a super power that can be harnessed to change the world. Until that day I will enjoy the mess and the natural rainbow moments that come with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment