I have found this last week a real struggle to get through. I’ve been tired, aching, full of cold and finding everything difficult.
Yesterday was particularly challenging. There seemed to be something kicking off in every corner of the house at any moment. Someone was asking for something, screeching at someone, arguing with someone, yelling, shouting, crying or complaining all day long – or so it seemed.
It was a long day and by mid-afternoon I was desperately counting down to 6.30pm. That is the time I hold onto some days as that is when the bedtimes begin. That is the time that keeps me going. Yesterday, if I were holding onto 6.30pm literally rather than figuratively, my knuckles would have been white and my palms bleeding from my nails digging into them so deeply, such were my stress levels. I felt worn out, impatient and completely discouraged.
Two year old Ollie wanted a cuddle before bedtime, so I lifted him onto my lap and he wrapped his arms around my neck and began the “I Love You” game.
“I looooove you!” he began.
“I looooove you!” I replied.
And so it goes like that for a while until Ollie asks for a High 5, then a “Down low” and whips his little hand away with a “Too slow!” catching me out every single time.
When the game was ended I asked him a question.
“Ollie, how much do you love me?”
He replied, “I don’t love you little. I love you big!”
“You love me big?!”
“I don’t love you little,” he repeated, holding his hands close together. Then spreading his arms wide apart he told me again, “I love you big!”
Ever in need of reassurance, I asked how much.
“I love you EMORMO!” he exclaimed with a huge smile and his arms stretched out as far as they could go.
So today, despite waking twice with one of the babies, feeling full of cold still and oversleeping by twenty minutes throwing me off my routine already – I’m going to try my best to be positive because he loves me EMORMO* and that was the best encouragement I could have ever hoped to have received.
*Emormo = enormous.
