First World Problems

Being Two is hard. Katie is having some pretty difficult days, going back and forth between being an adorable, cheerful, chatty kid, to being a whiny, fussy, tantrum-y monster. I don't remember Ellie going through a Terrible Two stage (she waited until she was Three), so this is new territory for me. It probably doesn't help that Katie has a more tired, less patient, divided time and attention mommy, unlike Ellie, who got me all to herself for three years and four months. But this is what our lives are like now, and we've got to make the best of it.

Sometimes, the things that make Katie cry are just too ridiculous, and they remind me of the popular site http://www.reasonsmysoniscrying.com

which chronicles the perfectly logical causes for toddler tantrums. Here's my version:

Ellie told Katie that her crying was giving her a headache. 

I was wearing my glasses. 

I turned on the radio after she asked for music. 

I didn't give her the toy she said she didn't want. 

And I just want to tell her: "get over it! It's not a big deal!"

Yet I know that these things are big deals in the complicated and confusing world of a toddler who is still trying to figure it all out, and I'm not trying to poke fun at my own kid in a mean way, but rather, this illustrates an interesting point (to me at least) about perspective. And what we must seem like to God whenever we gripe about our "first world problems." Yes, I am willing to bet that I often look (to God) very much the way my toddler looks to me when I complain about something that didn't work out exactly the way I wanted. 

I tried to keep that in mind today and not get too upset when...

The first thing I did this morning was ground Ellie for the afternoon because she refused to obey when I asked her to walk faster so we wouldn't be late to school. 

Paul informed me that his hard drive with years of photos, videos, music, and other important documents died. 

I found out that I had to pay for my wedding and anniversary rings to get repaired because they were worn down and could have lost their stones. 

My car wouldn't start when I tried to go pick up Ellie from school. 

I messed up dinner by not turning the oven hot enough and producing tough undercooked meat. 

These setbacks and inconveniences combined would make for a pretty crummy day, except that most of them had solutions or weren't really the end of the world... Because God still blesses us through it all, and thankfully, He is a far more benevolent parent than I am when it comes to tolerating tantrums.