It's Like a New Job

I was recently speaking to my pastor about how hard parenting has been for me, and I told her, "It's been like not knowing whether or not I'm starting a new job, with an entirely new set of skills and expectations, every day. I may have to start completely over, or it may be nearly the same job as yesterday. It's the not knowing that gets me."

And it's such a good metaphor. For example, on Saturday, I had my husband's help getting my new bike set up; the seat adjusted, etc. Once it was ready to go, I invited my daughter to ride with me. She was on her scooter, I was on my bike, and we enjoyed breezing along together.

Until she started shrieking in terror. She hopped off her scooter and clung to me, screaming. And I'm racking my brain, what could have set her off? She didn't fall...

Turns out it was flies. Tiny, itty bitty spring flies. She's now afraid of them. She wasn't last week, but now she is, and now my spring and summer are going to be, well, more interesting.

And so now my job description includes being on the lookout for, and protecting my daughter from tiny flies. Along with everything else.

Also? Now bedtime has become a huge war again. It's my fault. I told one of her doctors that bedtime had been going much better lately. Oh Lord. When will I learn not to speak of my child's positive sleep habits? It's the worst jinx.

So, that's my life at the moment. But on the upside? I have a new bike. Pretty sweet.