The Miss Elaine-ous Life

random acts of life, family and photos

It was the best day ever/It was the worst day ever

by

My oldest child loves to rate the day by those two phrases above.  He’s been doing this for years now.

Yesterday was the worst day ever because he stubbed his toe REALLY badly (seriously, the entire base of this toenail is purple right now).

Today was the best day ever because I turned on the water hoses out front and let them spray them as high as they wanted for a pretty long time (although things went downhill quickly when I would not agree to buy the one Lego ninja he wants that can only be found on Ebay apparently… anyway…)

Pretty much any little good or big bad thing can make or break the entire day.

According to him.

I started thinking about what makes it a good or bad day for me and I realized it is of course, my own decision to decide.

It could be that it was a bad day because I just woke up in a bad mood or did not feel so well or because the kids spilled something eighteen times or I yelled too much and now have to forgive myself.

It could be that it was a good day because no hardly any fights broke out between the kids and I was in a good mood and feeling thin-ish and lunch was tasty for all and there were even more than normal amounts of hugs and kisses.

But really, no matter what happens throughout the day, it can be turned around.  It CAN always be good.

And honestly, I’ve had a hard time getting out of the mentality that it is HARD to be with my three kids by myself all day (and sometimes night).  But what is up with that anyway?  Yeah, it’s hard at times, no lie.  No one said raising kid was located on Easy Street, now did they?

And sure, there are days when there is too much fuss over whatever.  That’s just the way life goes with three younger children.

But I’m trying to make more best days that worst days because I owe it to their memories and mine too.

So today, I did not get upset about the 3 spills I cleaned up.

What’s the point in that anyway?

And instead I delighted in their giggles and smiles as they ran through the sunny “rain”…

Comments

  4. Yes, this is the best perspective! Motherhood is hard, we expect it to be hard. So why let it define our days and how we feel?

    I’m guilty of that some days – when I’m alone with the 2 kids (babies only, really) all day and when the husband walks in, am ready to toss the two of them into his arms and run to the bathroom, lock myself in there for 30 minutes and have a good cry/ shower.

    So yes, I have to remind myself that it’s meant to be hard anyway, so may as well roll with the punches and see the bright spots.

  5. Great post. I read another blog recently that posted something similar (it was more about the child deciding what kind of day to have) and I’ve used that with Buddy, who tends to dwell on the bad stuff. It works remarkably well. I think I need to start using it for myself too.

  6. Great post! Every bad day can be turned around…. it’s all in how you think about it and find the little bits of joy in each day. And parenting IS hard….. and it doesn’t get any easier when they grow up either.

  7. I love your blog!..and every photo I have seen on it so far! You have sooo taken me back to my SAHM days (and the wonderful memories that my heart holds of that time) in with today’s post especially! Stick with the ‘attitude’ you talk about here and you will definitely have a heartful of fond memories too! I’ll be back!
    P.S. Love the name of your blog too!

  8. So true! It’s all about your attitude. By the way, my kids use the “best day ever” phrase a lot. I think it’s because Spongebob sings a song called The Best Day Ever.

  9. It is easy to let bad moments turn into bad moods. I find it happening to myself more than I like to admit. I’m working on turning it around too. Here’s to us for recognizing it and trying to do better! We can make all our days be the best that they can be. Cheers!

  11. A change in attitude really can make all the difference. I learned this recently with my 2YO. When I started approaching her with a calmer sense of patience and tolerance rather than getting frustrated at the drop of a hat, she in turn stopped acting out as much. By contrast, when I backslide, so does she. It’s very eye-opening (and can be rather shame-inducing).

  14. Great post! I often think find myself needing to work on my attitude. I’m always telling Andrew that he needs to make good choices. I need to remember to do this too!

  16. You’re completely right. There is a quote I have at my desk at work that I wish I would abide by more that says “life is 10% what happened to you and 90% how you reacted to it.” and that is the truth. But so hard to live by it seems. To make a spill irrelevant, or a pair of tight pants meaningless. But every time we can do it is a step in the best direction.

  17. Isn’t it funny how one silly thing can make it a worst day for a kid. I find myself doing that sometimes too, but it is nice that we are far more rational than those small beings!

  20. LOVE this line – “I started thinking about what makes it a good or bad day for me and I realized it is of course, my own decision to decide.”

    SO true! I am trying to remember daily (sometimes multiple times a day) that I’M the one who needs to choose happiness, almost all of the time! Great post.

  21. This post rings true for me on so many levels. I often have to remind myself that it’s me who determines if it’s a good day or a bad day. I hope vacation helps you to have some really great days.