🤍 “This too shall pass.”
Both of my girls are December babies.
And to this day, Christmas lights, the thing that’s supposed to feel cozy and joyful, still take me right back to those long, dark, sleepless nights. The ones where I was so tired I’d sit there rocking a baby, staring at the glow of the tree, quietly wishing I could close my eyes and wake up to my kids being grown and independent.
And then… it happens.
Or at least hindsight makes it feel that way.
Parenting moves in seasons, and every hard one feels endless while you’re in it — but somehow they’re fleeting, too. One trial fades and is quickly replaced by the next.
First it’s sleep.
Then your body.
Then your sense of self.
Infancy takes your nights.
Toddlerhood takes your nerves, patience… and your sleep again.
Then it’s:
“Mom, I’m hungry.”
“Mom, I’m bored.”
“Mom. Mom. Mom.”
Then:
“Mom, I need a ride.”
“Mom, can I have money?”
“Mom, can I go?”
Then:
“I’ll be back later, Mom.”
(Again — no sleep.)
Then:
“It wasn’t me, it was them.”
“I did turn it in — they just haven’t updated the grade book yet.”
Then suddenly:
“I’m all packed, Mom.”
And somehow, in between all of that, there are the I love you’s that make it all worth it.
The dirty diapers pass.
The broken dishes pass.
The spilled food, messy cars, sticky floors, and mystery substances stuck to the bottom of everything, they all pass.
But the moments stay.
So if you’re dragging yourself through another week, exhausted and overstimulated and wondering how much longer you can do this, take a breath. Stay in the moment for just a second. Even if the house is a mess. Even if today didn’t go how you planned.
One day, you’ll look back and wish you could step into this exact moment again, chaos and all.
This too shall pass 🤍
