As I was heading out the door with Miss O the other day, I was holding the doll she wanted to bring, the doll’s bottle, a plate of cookies, some snacks and a cup of lukewarm tea. Then she wanted me to carry her so I bent down to pick her up and it seemed like she’d gained a couple of pounds overnight. Suddenly I was off balance and because dropping her was out of the question, I instead spilled the tea all over the floor, my sleeve, the hood of the shirt Miss O was wearing, my shoes and her shoes. It was all over…

 One of the parts about parenting that I find most challenging is that I don’t feel free to express myself fully at times. When I’m frustrated, angry, sad, scared, I don’t just let loose but instead try to find the mature and exemplary way through the situation until I can scream, cry or swear in an appropriate moment which is usually long after the feeling has passed.

 As I got my bearings after spilling the tea all over, I set Miss O on the counter and she said, “Take a deep breath, Mama.” Sometimes that is all that there is left to do and she was right, it helped.