Irritatingly Perfect

Children, they are some of the most irritating people on the planet! They ALWAYS need something, they NEVER give you any space, they are dirty, they are messy, they are obnoxious, they don't read your mood very well and to honest, they don't really care what your mood is, they just want you to do it their way and do it now! I miss "me" time, I miss being able to shower without someone coming into the bathroom, I miss reading books, I miss quiet, I miss peeing by myself (honestly, I'm not sure I remember the last time that I wasn't followed into the bathroom or walked in on, I know I could lock him out, but I usually don't think about it and really that just results in crying on the other side of the door). Sometimes I think that if I could just be alone for the 30 minutes it takes me to shower and get ready, if that could just be the one time of the day that I truly had time to myself, I would feel better, more refreshed and happier. But, alas, it is not to be. Jackson is usually right by my side, talking, playing, interfering, grabbing and generally being irritating. And if for some reason I am lucky enough to find myself alone in the bathroom getting ready, undoubtedly, someone starts crying, screaming or yelling for me (babies or Jackson, you never know). With five kids under the age of 4, "me" time is a thing of the past and not likely to reappear in the near future.

Despite my frustration, I love my little people with all my heart and soul! They make me crazy, they irritate the snot out of me, they exhaust me, sometimes my nerves are raw at the end of the day and somedays I feel like I just want to quit, but then I have a moment when I realize that they may be irritating, but they are IRRITATINGLY PERFECT. I had one of those moments today. The babies were sleeping and I was getting ready to go to an appointment and all I wanted was to get ready by myself, but sure enough, Jackson was by my side, making noise, playing with things he didn't need to play with, and asking a never ending string of questions. Then he drug a blanket into the bathroom (the one I lay the babies on in the living room) which just made me crazy. Why does he have to continually create more chaos? Then he hid himself inside the blanket and told me to find him and for some reason, that's when it hit me . . . it won't be long before my sweet, irritating children don't want to be right next to me all the time. One day they will be off in another room "hiding" from me, hoping that I don't come looking for them. It will be the blink of an eye and suddenly I will have to work to get them to talk to me or spend time with me. I will turn around one day and there won't be a child standing beside me going through the drawer and asking questions while I brush my teeth . . . and somehow, I know I will miss it. The things that I find irritating now, will suddenly be fond memories. These moments that I find so frustrating sometimes, are really moments of blissful perfection. And just as these thoughts were crossing my mind and my eyes started to tear up (as they are doing now), I looked up to see Jackson squatting on the bathroom counter. Before another thought could enter my mind he was standing up while licking the mirror from the bottom to the top and when he was standing all the way up, he licked from side to side for good measure . . . Oh well! Someday I will have peace and quiet again (and clean mirrors), but for now, I am going to try to enjoy the chaos and the constant companionship as much as I can (but it wouldn't hurt for someone to remind to look back at this post every once in a while in case I forget how "perfect" my children are)!