One day, when I picked up my little boy from preschool, he had wet, tear-soaked cheeks. The teacher held him on her hip and explained that my son’s friend Vinny had played with another boy, and they excluded him. “I’m so sorry,” the teacher said. She patted my son’s back and handed him to me. My heart broke on the drive home as I thought about my sweet boy standing alone in the play yard. I knew I’d have to take him back the next day, but I didn’t want to. How could I, knowing he might have another day like this one?
Having a toddler involves so many firsts for both of you. New experiences and new emotions. Your sturdy little guy can sing the alphabet, but he still feels like your baby. To do our best with no road map to guide us, we need courage. Here are 5 places to find the courage to be the best toddler mom you can during these joyous yet challenging years.
1. In All You’ve Done So Far
Taking my little one to the dentist for the first time didn’t daunt me. It was the second time that took courage. The tears! Parenting a toddler is hard because you’re experiencing all these firsts (and seconds) with your child. You know the hard parts before they do.
But you’re tougher than you think. You endured the physical pains of pregnancy and childbirth, the sleepless nights with a newborn and the challenges of feeding a baby. You have the strength already to be the best mother to your toddler. And through your courage, you’re teaching your children that you don’t avoid hard things. In fact, you grow stronger with every hurdle you pass.
You have the strength already to be the best mother to your toddler. Click To Tweet2. In Your Child
I expected tears and arms wrapped around my leg. I anticipated breaking a sweat peeling them off me before slipping out a side door. But none of that happened! Both of my kids galloped into preschool and never looked back.
Sometimes they surprise us. Often, without a lifetime of experiences behind them, our kids have more courage, even if it’s based on pure trust. We can take a page from their books. Forget the past. Focus on the goodness of the moment. The wisdom we gain as toddler moms often comes from our children themselves.
Be sure to let your kids know you’re seeing all their goodness with our 100 Words of Encouragement printable.
3. In Others Around You
Who do you keep around you? Even though she doesn’t live close by, my mom is my number one encourager besides my husband. She’ll remind me of the hard truths of parenting—not to give my daughter everything she wants and not to cave on discipline. I find a lot of my courage from her. I also find it in my closest friends who are honest about their struggles in parenting.
The company we keep can build us up with the strength we need to be better moms to our toddlers. Our kids watch us, and they feed off our interactions. If you want your child to have strong values, teach her through the company you share. Having the courage to prioritize our positive relationships will rub off on our kids.
4. In Your Husband
At 3 years old, my son needed his top front tooth extracted. He must’ve damaged the root on a fall and the enamel had yellowed. I think I was more scared than my son about the IV, the hospital gown, and the extraction! My husband suggested we have a “Tooth Party” afterward. We made a tooth cake, gifted him a tooth fairy pillow, and celebrated! My husband turned something scary into something fun and his cheerful strength gave me courage too.
By agreeing “to have and to hold” and “in sickness and in health,” you and your husband agreed to support each other through everything. That includes the surprising trials of toddlerhood. When you’re lacking courage, finding it in your husband is a strength. Your child sees the two of you working together and this gives him strength and courage too.
5. In Faith and Relationship With God
Last weekend, I watched a mom cradle her newborn during church. Next to her, a boy leaned on her hip while her husband held a little girl who might’ve been 2. I marveled. My family didn’t look like that. When my kids were little, they begged for snacks. They poked each other. They dropped board books. They tugged on my clothes and wanted to be held. They cried. I usually left church caked in sweat.
Sometimes being in a relationship with God is anything but easy. But even though the mom at church made it look easy while I left feeling exhausted from pew wrestling, the thing is, we both brought our families. When you demonstrate your faith to your children, you’re instilling the strength and courage they’ll need to practice their faith as they grow—wherever they go. Keep going, moms! It’s worth it.
Toddler moms must be tough moms. Where do you find your courage?
