A Parenting, Motherhood Moment to Remember

My six year old son, looking very worried, came into the kitchen to tell me his two year old brother needed my help in my bedroom. I asked him what his problem was.

He said, "Just come and see!", leading me down the hall anxiously.

When I walked into my room I found my two year old sitting on my bed with his hand in an open, extra large jar of peanut butter. He had smeared most of the four pounds of peanut butter all over himself like lotion and had spread the rest of it all over my pillow, bedspread and sheets. The whole room reeked of peanut butter. He had peanut butter in his hair all over his arms, his legs, his stomach and face. There was even peanut butter in his eyelashes. I didn't know what to do. It was one of those parenting moments when you know you're in over your head and you don't know what to do about it. I though about yelling at him to teach him a lesson never to do that again but he looked so innocent despite the incriminating evidence all over his hands. So Instead, I got out my camera and took one of the most memorable photos in the history of our family.

I'm so glad I chose the camera instead of the discipline. He never did do it again despite my neglecting to teach him a lesson, and the photo I took was so worth the hour it took me to clean up the mess on him and my bed. I used a carpet cleaner to get the smell of peanut butter out of my mattress. The bath I gave my son was even fun because instead of dealing with a crying uncooperative child, like he would have been if I had yelled at him, I got to just talk to him calmly when I was cleaning him up. It was fun to find out what he was thinking about the whole situation.

Not only did I archive the photo in his memory book but I also framed it for my husband's office. It makes such a great conversation peace for him. Motherhood is so much more rewarding when you can see the humor in the moments when you know your in over your head and you don't know what to do.