Five things I’ve learned from Life with Two Toddlers

Stop waiting

Often times in life I have said things like, “first I’ll do_____, then I will do ______” Waiting in that sense is comfortable. One thing I learned through foster care is that life can change in an instant.  There literally may not be a tomorrow or a next week. Life is lived right now, not in the waiting. If we are constantly looking ahead we miss what is right in front of us. I would rather spend my life in the present and not just hope for the future. 

Play more, worry less

Toddlers are not super concerned about what happened at work that day or why I am stressed out. The second I pick them up from daycare or walk in the door at home, they just want to enjoy being home and enjoy being back together. That is a really important lesson I am learning. Even on my worst days outside of my home, my kids don’t know. Tripp wants to play with cars and Jon wants to read books. They both want to wrestle at some point. Being a mom of toddlers has forced me to put aside my fears and anxieties at least for a time. 

See the beauty

Have you ever sat and watched a two-year old play? Everything is new and exciting. Little things like grass are super cool and slides are the best thing ever. Hanging out with two little ones truly forces you to slow down and see things in a new and beautiful way. 

Love unconditionally

My two boys don’t really care if I mess up dinner or if I mess up on something.  They don’t really care if I look horrible that day. They aren’t concerned about any of that. They love me they same regardless of any of that. They still want to cuddle and give smooches. They still want me to swing with them or play catch with them.  I think that’s a lesson we can all learn. They don’t care about the “stuff.” Maybe we should all love a little more without conditions or expectations. 

You are stronger than you feel 

My kids are exhausting….keeping boys alive is hard.  I love them more than anything, but sometimes it feels like they conspire to cut down on the amount of sleep I get. They also like to scream in unison. I can never really explain it, but even when I get two hours of sleep, I seem to always be able to make it through the day. When the days are hard at two years old, I remember when we had two infants. Remembering that we survived that gives me hope we can probably make it through anything…because that was truly a crazy time. 

Being mama to my boys has taught me more than just five things, but these are lessons I think we can all learn from. 

Koko