Growth Spurts

My daughter has been very clumsy this week.  She’s managed to fall off a chair, walk into a wall and tumble head first down the stairs.  Fortunately I was at the bottom of the steps and managed to catch her before she really did herself an injury.  Oh, and she also tripped over her own feet, landed on her face and split her lip.  The ice  pack has been in and out of the freezer all week!  She seems to have a patch like this every now and then, which I suspect is due to growth spurts.

Isn’t it funny how kids can jump a whole clothing size in a week?  Or how you buy a pair of shoes for them one size up, put them in the cupboard, and by the time you get them out they are already too small?!  The rate at which children grow astounds me.

I guess I am still growing in some ways too.  Although I may not be getting any taller, I am certainly still growing as a mother.  And like my daughter, I think that perhaps I too am prone to growth spurts.  There are times when it seems like everything is smooth sailing with my parenting, and my kids and I are happily cruising along together.  Life isn’t perfect, but at least I have things mostly under control.  Then there are other times when I seem to be navigating through unchartered territory.  The learning curve is steep, and as the Mummy I’m required to be a fast learner in order to keep a step ahead of my kids.  It’s then that I trip over my own feet and land face first myself.  Ouch.

I think I need to be kind to myself.  It’s not like some transformation took place when I gave birth, endowing me with all the skills and knowledge I would need to successfully raise my kids to adulthood.  I think we are meant to grow with our kids, learning little by little what works (and doesn’t), tripping up occasionally and allowing the process to mature us.

One thing I have noticed with my daughter is that an awkward, clumsy patch is often followed by a delightful and contented phase.  She settles back into herself with a renewed confidence.  I hope that is true of me with my mummy growth spurts too.