Letting Kids Be Kids

As a mom, I always knew that I would struggle a little bit with letting my guard down, pushing my OCD tendencies to the side and letting kids just be kids. I always WANTED to be the "fun mom" but I know my personality and that my patience can easily be tested.

Jumping in puddles? Sure it SEEMS harmless but in my mind it screams "Wet clothes! Dirty water!! Cold kids!" Or how about fingerpainting? This is a craft that I haven't even been brave enough to try yet because I just envision PAINT over every piece of furniture and wall in our home and then me, scrubbing it out till the wee hours of the morning. And don't get me started on Play-doh… We own a couple small tubs but I'll only let Ky play with it on a table, with a mat, and for like 10 minutes at a time. And I watch him like a hawk the whole time.

But I'm trying to get better. I know I have two small babies and I know they're going to want to do stuff that drives me crazy and makes me crazy and makes my OCD flare up and tests my patience. But they are KIDS. And I have to remember that.

So yesterday I decided to let my guard down. I ignored the logical, neat-freak person inside my head... And I plopped a box of Valentine's funfetti cupcakes into our cart while we were in Target.

While Ky was sleeping, I took out everything we needed to bake cupcakes… I pulled out a stepstool, cleared and wiped off the counters and pre-heated the oven. After we had lunch, I explained to him that we were going to bake cupcakes.

 I let him pour the mix into the bowl and the water and the oil… I cracked each egg into a measuring cup and let him pour that as well. I let him stir and I let him put the little liners in the muffin tins. I even let him help me scoop the batter into the cups.

And then... we waited. I think that was the longest 22 minutes of his life.

FINALLY they were done, we let them cool, and began to frost them.

I showed him how to frost and gave him the spatula. And then we put on the sprinkles which I think was his favorite part. It's my favorite part, too.

And yeah, stuff spilled everywhere. There was cupcake batter all over my counter… Little bit of egg residue on the floor… Sprinkles in every orifice of his body... Frosting in his hair... And I must've wiped the counter down and washed his hands about 16 times in between each step... But I didn't care. It was so much fun. And he LOVED it. He kept saying "Cupcake! Cupcake!"

And then we went and sat on the deck to enjoy the fruits of our labor.. and he was a little hesitant at first…

But after the first bite..

He was hooked.

I'll never forget this day. His sweet little sticky fingers. The way he tippy-toed on the stepstool to reach the counter. The smell of frosting in his hair. And the look of pure delight on his face when he had a bite of his very first cupcake.

And I hope that next time I start freaking out when he sees a mud puddle  he wants to run through or a bug he wants to catch... I think of this moment. And that I remind myself it's ok to get messy to make memories.