I once read that every stage of motherhood and childhood is like a different room. Newborn, early toddler, late toddler, grade school, etc. We essentially have four different rooms at our home at all times that we have to keep checking in on. As beautiful of an idea as that is, it also requires my husband and I to be on our toes because every room gets messier as we continue to walk on!

As we begin this post, I want to start off by honestly admitting how sad I am to be closing the door to the newborn stage. That is the room I felt most comfortable in and the most proud of myself on how I kept that room. I miss that room the most, mainly because I am scared that as the kids get older, their rooms will be filled with more unknown things and I’ll have to learn how to navigate through it each time! I felt liked I rocked at thriving in the newborn room but only because I had previously walked through it. With this fear comes the motivation to learn with the kids as they grow into a new room. 

D is in the room of coming out of that baby phase and into the stubborn toddler age. He can’t verbalize everything what he wants, poor guy, but he WANTS what he wants and you will KNOW when he is upset if he doesn’t get it! He is also developing so much every day! Learning new words and phrases, learning how to do things on his own, and learning how to bully his brothers to get what he wants. He is also in the stage of the WORST sleep regression on this planet. The 18 month regression has by far attacked this house 4 times and lasted until they turned 2. Send thoughts and prayers to this house while we await that day!

A is in the room of sweet memories. He knows he has it the best, he is the one everyone loves and he is the one who gets away with everything. He is also the one who just melts your heart. We all want to love on him but he is the one who plays hard to get. He is the most independent one, I guess that’s third child syndrome, which makes us all admire him more. He is always in his own world and he is the most theatrical one of them all!

H is in the room of energy. He is just always on the GO. He LOVES his brothers so much and he is the glue of this family. He is always protecting his brothers from us, even if they are the ones who were being mean to him! He is so loyal and also just so positive and optimistic. He also loves himself, which I truly admire. He is always praising himself for being brave, even if in situation where is nervous, because he wants to try new adventures! He is also the one who on every vacation gets lost somehow and is always giving us a scare! And like his mom, he LOVES dancing. 

V is in the room of being an impressionable sponge. He is learning from all the kids around him, even the older ones. I can see him changing from a sweet little boy to one who is so curious but also learning such mature and adult things. It is very scary, especially in this generation with social media and modern technology. For now, I am trying to limit screen time especially a phone until he is much older. If anyone has tips on how to navigate this room, please comment below!

The idea of different rooms defining childhood and motherhood also is applicable to life in general. We go from room to room as we walk along the journey of life. Each room takes effort to create and the result is so beautiful. . Ten years ago, I was in a very different room than ten years before that. And ten years from now, I will be in a very different room. We need to remind ourselves that with each room we grow and our next room is built on top of the foundation of the current phase. As we close the door to the previous room and move onto the next one, we should be grateful for all that we learned from prior chapters. Even if we made mistakes, we should gain insight from that. One thing I am currently learning to do is to give myself grace for that past room and all the events that went on in it. I am not perfect and have made mistakes in the past and have always given myself a hard time and still have so many regrets. We need to accept our mistakes and remember to learn from them. We are human. As I am learning more about myself while I parent, I know that I want to teach the kids that we do the best that we can in that moment with whatever resources we have, and this applies to us all. Always remind yourself that. Let’s continue to glance at those rooms of the past and continue to construct healthy and happy foundations for the future.