part of me

"part of me wants to do all my ideas for today," he states, "and part of me just feels so tired."

this, our eldest's summation as he lies in bed surrounded by his stuffed animals, sucking his thumb, and completely covered in a blanket. i was lying next to him, debriefing his moments down in depths of despair from 20 minutes previous.

tonight

he had a difficult time going through his evening routine in a timely fashion.

he was easily distracted by everything.

he got lost in the bathtub, entertained for ages by the sound of water lapping at his ears.

it took him nearly an hour to meander back down the stairs to brush his teeth

and, once downstairs, he was

devastated to learn that so much time had lapsed, he would not have time to pick a show to watch.

we let him tantrum for a bit, after which he completed his night-time routine & crawled into bed. what he said makes so much sense;

his reflection of life's dualities felt at home in the core of my being.

we discussed how to manage those competing parts of ourselves 

&

the role of parents/adults to help kids confront the inevitable clash between desire and reality.

now, i sit here thinking

 about how the important conversations in life happen when you least expect them

and i am thankful