I heard him get up this morning – my three year old – and I knew that I should follow him down the stairs. But I’m tired. And I knew some of his older siblings were up too. Surely they will let me know if he gets into anything…
By the time I got downstairs he had raided the fridge and helped himself to half a roast beef sandwich left over from yesterday’s lunch, added a healthy dose of mustard, fed the fish enough to last a month, and rinsed a couple of tomatoes in a pitcher of water which was now spilled all over the countertop and dripping down the cupboard doors and inside the drawers. Sigh…
Yesterday I realized the water was running in the bathroom and when I went to investigate I found him standing on the toilet squeezing half a tube of his new toothpaste in the sink and trying to rinse it down. Sigh…
The other day, he had pooped in his pull-up and tried to change himself! He’d gone into his bedroom, pulled off his pull-up smearing poop all the way down both legs and on his feet, then lay down on his carpet leaving a lovely trail of poop across the carpet and footprints on the dresser. Sigh…
And last week he decided he wanted a bath in the middle of my history lesson with the older children so he stripped himself naked, got into the tub, smeared about one third of a bottle of baby shampoo into his hair, all over his body and down the length of the bathtub and then started to run the water. (Thankfully he didn’t turn on the HOT water.) Sigh…
His curiosity about the world around him and unbridled confidence leaves a wide swath of debris and destruction in his wake!
He is a wonderful boy… and I love him… but he is a TORNADO!
Can you relate?
Do you have one?
What can do you to survive the little tornado in your life?
1. Thank God for your tornado!
Ok… I confess, some days this is HARD! Some days I’m thanking God for him through clenched teeth and with tears streaming down my face, begging for God to come into the middle of my crazy levels of frustration and bring His peace. But He does. And it helps.
2. Ask God for His Perspective
When your eyes zero in on the poop all over the carpet, toothpaste in the sink and mustard covering your table it’s really hard to take a step back and see the bigger picture. That your tornado is a masterpiece! That he (or she) is doing what he was created to do – explore and learn and grow. That his 3 year old intentions are not sinister. He is not trying to ruin your day, make all your hair turn grey and fall out or usher you into an insane asylum! And, my weary friend…. he will grow out of this stage all too quickly.
3. Plan Ahead
You cannot plan every single minute of the day, but if you know that there are certain times in the day that you really need to get something done, try having some quick and simple activities on hand to pull out that your little tornado can do to keep him busy and within eyesight. While I’m doing school with the older children, I try to have things on hand such as toddler puzzles, some playdoh, stickers and paper, pre-school sissors, a magnet set, write on/wipe off books – anything that I can grab fast and switch out quickly as his focus wanes and I need something new to keep him occupied.
4. Partner Up
Some days I’ll have each of my older kids take a turn playing with my sweet little tornado one-on-one. I let the older ones know that they are getting a play break from school by engaging him, but they are also ministering both to him and to the rest of us. It’s builds relationships between the children, and it helps the rest of us move through school more quickly.
5. Plan Breaks
I know this isn’t always easy to do, but sometimes you just need a break! Swap babysitting duties with a friend so you can each have a break. See if Grandma or Aunt Lucy would like to spend an afternoon with him to give you a breather. Leave dad to hold the fort and go grocery shopping BY YOURSELF! Breaks are important.
6. Enjoy Your Tornado!
I know that tornados can be EXHAUSTING!! I get that. Completely! But those tornados are also full of giggles and laughter, songs and dancing, snuggles and nose nuzzles… and sometimes the best thing you can do is set aside what you’re doing for 15 minutes or however long you can… and just enjoy them! Focus entirely on them. Read a book. Sing a song. Have a tickle fight. Give hugs and kisses. Build a blanket fort. Pull them up on your lap and watch a favourite cartoon together…
because…
…Tornado season doesn’t last forever… and believe it or not… you may find that you miss it one day.
