My Poky Little Puppy

One of my favorite books to read to Noah (when he was little) was the Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey.  It is kinda a cute book about a puppy marching to the beat of his own drum and ending up in a wee bit of trouble.  Little did I know that I would end up with my own Poky Little one. 

The other night when we were working through homework and piano and kid stuff... I was slightly annoyed with Noah.  I always feel so guilty when I get annoyed at my children but from what I hear, it happens to us all.  They are the front and center of my life.  But still, that slight annoyance manages to creep into my nerve endings. 

He is so poky at everything and always has been.  When he was little, we used to call him our "Poky Little Puppy."   He spends more time in the bathroom grooming than I do. Bedtime always becomes a long drawn out affair because he looks in the mirror and brushes each tooth individually, styles his hair, and takes forty minutes in the shower----every. single. night. 

And could we do homework without dinosaurs or dragons or Army men present?

So, in an attempt to suppress my feelings of annoyance---and then guilt---I tried to search myself for the best way to deal with this child.  How do I encourage him to pick up the pace?  How do I teach him to put his drum aside and start listening to the beating of my drum?  Then, it hit me.  I realized why this child was given to me.

Life moves so quickly now-a-days.  There are only a short couple of hours between school ending and bedtime beginning. 

I feel like Noah was given to me to help me slow down.  Instead of being annoyed that he has to line up a couple of dragons in order to do his homework, I need to take a step into his world.  At his eye level.  I need to sit by him and talk to him and listen to him.  To slow down with everyday life and just be together.  To leave the laundry in the dryer and the dishes in the sink and let Noah have his own pace.  He has the rest of his life to rush around and multi-task. 

I have decided to slow my own pace down to his pace.  To listen to his drum.  He is a gift to me and I plan on cherishing every minute we have together.  It sounds so simple, but it is a difficult thing to do.

 Big and Little brother look foreward to our candle lit suppers for Family Night.

He is honestly and truly one of the best sons a mother could ask for.  I am so lucky that he was given to me.