Raising a two-year old fills my days with lots of joy and laughter. Oh, the things a two-year old says continues to amaze me and crack me up. But with this age also comes her tantrums, desires to be more independent than she realizes she can be, and her ability to run 90 miles per hour AWAY from me when I ask her to come. I'm telling you, two-years must have these invisible jet packs that are strapped onto their backs, so they can take flight at any moment and go from 0 to 90 mph in a matter of 2 seconds. I'm still very amazed by this talent they hold. All of these behaviors have just become a normal part of our days and weeks. I chalked it up as her new energy level and also started to believe that this may just be the next phase she's going through (specifically with the tantrums).
But then while brushing her teeth last night...A tooth was discovered! A two-year molar.
Ahhh. YES. That explains a lot. Doesn't it?
Although most of her behaviors were fairly normal and to-be-expected, the realization that she's teething again has brought a whole new level of grace and understanding to me. I was beginning to notice signs of possible teething when I caught her attempting to fit her entire fist (or, at times, both fists) into her mouth. I'd ask if her teeth hurt, but she always said no, so I just assumed it must be her age causing her to act out...and not her teeth.
I cannot imagine the pain and discomfort little ones face while teething. No wonder they get cranky, drool everywhere, and try to chew anything from their own fist to shopping cart handles, shoes, and random toys and books. I feel like behaving that way, too, when my teeth hurt as an adult. Ha! And to be honest, I've never experienced a cavity (yet!)...but I do remember the pain of new teeth growing in as a youngster and of getting a lovely head gear and then braces during my early teen years...followed by the removal of wisdom teeth during college. Tooth pain is no fun at all. It's bothersome for me. I feel like it's hard to focus on anything but the pain when it's so intense. No wonder Mya's been irritable.
As a mom, I wanna to take that pain away and make it better for her. But when it comes to teething, I can only do so much...and then I just have to allow nature to run its course. I can't prevent the tooth from coming. And I don't want to. I don't want her to be stuck on baby food her entire life. I want her to experience life...experience new things. And that can be a hard thing as a mom. We want to take their pain away...and we can temporarily (what a praise!)...but sometimes life is painful. Whether its teething...or dealing with nightmares, facing issues with not-so-nice friends, the strong dislike for school, or you fill in the blank...life is not easy. Even for little ones. Part of it is just life. And, as a mom, I'm learning that it's okay to allow Mya to face these hardships in an age-appropriate way. Life is gonna be hard, and I want to equip her with the abilities to face those challenges. I wanna walk alongside her but also allow her to learn and grow through the challenging times. I want her to be able to make decisions on her own and learn from her mistakes. As I type this, I realize how dependent this makes me on God. This [parenting and life in general] will keep me on my knees...and in prayer...as I allow her to learn and grow and experience life in new and different ways.
With one tooth down and three to go...this momma's gonna need some more grace and love to surround her little one during this small phase of life and development. Thank goodness for God's example of love and grace in my life...so I can work to model that for Mya.
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