Guest Blogger: Noble Mother
Guest Blogger Raelee Peirce is a wife, a mother of two young children, the Founder of Noble Mother, a Parent Coach, and a Parent Educator. Raelee reminds us to accept our children as they are, even if they don't fit our definition of the "dream" child.
My Sprite in Tights
It was quite a shock the first time I felt shaken with anger and frustration with my 2 year old bundle of energy. I have to admit, she isn't anything like I had imagined. My husband and I chose the name Isabel because we just knew she would have dark hair and eyes like me, a little Italian beauty!
Nope. She arrived into the world with pale blue eyes and strawberry blond hair. Even at birth I remember thinking, “Who is this??” Of course, I adored her and felt an indescribable adoration for this little fairy child I was given.
Not only did she come with a different hair color, but she also came with her own individual temperament – completely opposite of mine. I like to fly-by-the-seat of my pants and decide on a whim what the day has in store for me. Isabel likes to know what's on the schedule. I like to follow rules and not draw attention to myself. Isabel likes to make sure everyone can see her pretty dress and hear her sing her new song. I like to sit in the grass and watch the clouds or listen to the birds.
Isabel likes to run and fly a kite. I like to spend time at home puttering around cleaning, cooking, or organizing. Isabel likes to go, go, go anywhere but home.
She is now 4.5 - so she tells all her new acquaintances. For more than half of that time I have spent lamenting over the fact that she's not like me. Most certainly it has been a frustrating learning process and my easy-going, difficult-to-anger personality has been altered by the experience. I learned that I have buttons that can be pushed and that my calm style can be rattled into rage if I'm not careful.
It wasn't until I realized that loving and accepting Isabel for the sprite in tights that she is, that I could really see her. When I got that idea – to really like who she is - it was like looking at her for the first time. By removing the shadow of my fantasy daughter who did everything like me, I could finally appreciate the daughter I have and just what a gift it is to have her creative energy a part of my everyday.
Visit Raelee's site Noble Mother.
