The Grass is Greener...

...in your own backyard. :)

I know I have sometimes been guilty of having "the grass is greener over there" moments. There is always that friend who always looks so stylish, or that family member who is so creative, or that neighbor who's yard is consistently "yard of the month." Usually I feel inspired or motivated to take action...but sometimes you just feel inferior. And "the grass is greener" feels more like a weight on your chest than fire under your feet. And in the world of SB - it's sometimes better just to "keep off the grass". There is always that child who is sitting, crawling, standing, walking....before your child.

There are those babies with super-human powers that defy the natural developmental stages and are running around at 9 months...and honestly those don't really get to you

...because you know that's not the norm.

And then there are those babies who are advancing beyond your child but are your child's same age...and those sort of start to get to you...

but you know every child is different so you can shrug that off to.

And then, there are those children who are younger than your child...who were not sitting up when your child was, or saying "dada" or starting to crawl...and are now walking around effortlessly...and you see them walking right into the most beautiful green grass...

And you feel that twinge of "am I doing something wrong?" or "am I not helping him enough?"

And worse is the reminder that your child "shouldn't be doing this yet...it's normal for SB."

Isn't that strange...how the term "normal" can seem so... not normal.

Using word normal and SB in the same sentence seems both contradictory and natural.

Our lives are not "normal" in the way that they are not always easy or predictable or able to be controlled....but then again...whose are?

Are any of our lives are free from frustration or worry?

Free from feeling left out or wanting to fix things or experiencing sadness?

Free from wanting the best for our children and always wanting to give them more...

then marveling how we could not ask for more than what they give us every...single...day.

The love they give us every day.

Their smiles that warm us up.

Those little ray of sunshine smiles that heat the earth...

...and make the grass greener...

...in our own backyard.