A Grumpy Day

It's amazing how one event can set the tone for an entire day. Yesterday Elijah deleted a seven-page talk Al was preparing on the computer. Somehow, possibly with Josiah's help, the contents of the file were not only deleted, but the file was also closed without being saved. Al called me at work in great distress and frustration. By the time I got home Elijah was just waking up from his nap and he was very grouchy. It took half an hour to calm him down and convince him to eat lunch and by that time I was getting grouchy too.

Elijah had therapy after lunch. The session went well, but not great. Elijah is starting to exert independence and test boundaries. It's wonderful that he is reaching a new developmental milestone, but pretty frustrating too. He throws toys and food in disdain and insists on lifting the heater vents and tossing things in. All completely normal activities for someone who is almost two years old, but activities that drive me nuts.

We picked Josiah up from preschool and played at a local playground for awhile. Josiah played "Red Light, Green Light" with some friends. When it was his turn to be the "red light" though, he refused to say "green light." He wanted to be the "red light" forever and did not give his friends a chance to get near him. Instead he made up his own rules. "Banana light! That means you have to pretend to eat a banana...Orange light! That means you have to go back to the beginning." I was torn about whether to intervene and remind Josiah to play by the rules or to let him experience the natural consequence of his friends deciding not to play the game anymore. I ended up tossing out, "Josiah, you have to say green light" from time to time. He didn't listen and his friends quit and suggested a new game.

The evening went well enough, but Al and I were both feeling tired and grouchy. I completed paperwork for enrolling Josiah in Kindergarten. Then Josiah and I made an Easter banner for church while Elijah tried to climb on the table and grab all of our supplies. Al folded laundry and tried to keep Elijah occupied so he wouldn't grab more craft supplies. By the time the kids were in bed Al and I both were exhausted. We climbed into bed to read for awhile and thanked each other for putting up with our grouchiness.

Other than the incident with Al's file being deleted, yesterday was pretty normal. But it seems like that one incident made us all a little grumpier and less patient than usual. Lord, have mercy. But that was yesterday. Today is a new day. With God's help, I hope to be more patient and loving today.