My youngest

Holy jeez, I had a go-'round with my youngest last night. He decided it was a good idea to take on some attitude with me when I told him to do something. Bad idea. But let me tell you what I learned from that.

PARENTHOOD AIN'T FOR WIMPS

We have to be smarter, faster, quicker, stronger and have more stamina so that we can stay at least one step ahead of them. By the time it was over--and I won, by the way--I was exhausted but I never let him see any signs of weakness and showed no fear. After he left it was a different matter. And then I started thinking about how grateful I am that I'm not a single parent. My hat is off to you. I don't see how you do it and am beginning to see how a single parent can just give up. It's exhausting. And it's the child that ends up suffering. I firmly believe that all children want boundaries and will push until they find them even if it means they test the law. Nobody wants chaos. I think the human nature tends towards order and so do children. It's why you see natural leaders float to the top. I remember in school when the teacher would have to step and not put someone in charge you would still see someone in the classroom tend to rise up and bring order. Happens over and over. You see it in playgroups and groups of friends. There is one that tends to become the leader. I believe it's because we need that order, those boundaries. Kids push and we have to be strong enough and brave enough to push back.

He did.

I did.

But damn...when one decides to push it can often feel like an elephant trying to find a place to sit down. This won't be the last time either. Swell.