The Little Things

There is a country song called "It Won't Be Like This for Long" by Darius Rucker.  Who would have thought Hootie (or was he a Blowfish) would go country, but it happened and he gets airplay.  The song talks about a father with his daughter in all of the phases of her life from newborn to preschooler to teenager to bride.  It speaks of treasuring the moments you have (no matter how rough) because "it won't be like this for long".

So, for the past few days, D has not been the kindest creature when it comes to going to school.  She has thrown fits, cried, told us that she wants to go to her old school, and ran from us.  Husband has had to carry her into her classroom (interesting picture I am sure since he is also holding little one in her car seat and carrying lunchboxes for both) and hand her to a teacher.  At the end of the day, she has had fun and has even asked to stay longer because she is playing.  This morning we instituted a sticker chart.  She can earn up to three stickers in a day.

The first sticker is for getting out of the house without a meltdown.  The second is for walking into the classroom without a tantrum.  The third is for not being disruptive during nap time.  Today, she earned all three stickers and seemed to be in a better place about going to school.

As I was driving home from my first staff meeting and landing directly in rush hour traffic in a torrential downpour, I had to think about the little things that will change in a blink of an eye.  D asked me to lay with her for a little while.  When I asked how long, she said, "Five minutes, is that a long time?"  I said, "That is too long.  I will lay with you for two minutes."  Her response was, "How about three?"  After the negotiations, I laid down next to her and started rubbing her hair.  She flung her arm over me.  My heart melted.

It won't be like this for long.