NoT aLwAyS EaSy...

My son tends to wow people with his (mostly) easy going personality. From those who see him occasionally as well as from people who have never seen him before in their lives, I get comments like, " Oh, you don't know how EASY you have it!", and " He is such an EASY, QUIET baby". Now, let me be clear: I am very lucky and blessed, and Aiden is a sweet boy. Although he does not nap much, he started sleeping through the night at six weeks old. Yes, I know I am lucky. But, the infamous comment, "He NEVER cries!" is not true, and it would be odd if it were. Aiden does cry- he cries and he screams and he even kicks. Of course, he also smiles and laughs and squeals, which makes every fussy period a small price. Parenting is a lot of things. It is joyful, it is rewarding, it is terrifying, it is fulfilling, it is amazing, but it is not always easy and please please don't tell a mother that it is. And please don't speak in absolutes. Thank you for admiring my son's behavior, but the fact that he is in a good mood for the half hour you spend with him does not mean he is ALWAYS that way. My dad always used to say, "things are never absolute. Nothing is ever always or never". Actually I think it would be, "things are rarely absolute". No matter how difficult or easy each day is, we never stop loving our children. When he smiles, when he cries, when he sleeps like an angel and when he wakes at four A.M., When he throws tatrums as a toddler and draws me pictures in preschool, when he is a teenager and long after he moves out, I will always love my son. That part is always easy.