Cry If You Want To

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14996354_10154706787943875_1913207472_nRecently a fellow mom blogger wrote a piece on why she won’t post pics of her kids crying on Facebook.  I read her post and greatly respect her opinion and point of view, but I happen to have the completely opposite opinion.  As all moms know, we don’t always agree, and that’s okay. Here’s why I don’t mind posting pics of my kids crying or seeing others post pics of the hard times with their kids.

C.S. Lewis said it best when he said 

“Friendship … is born at the moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .” 

Facebook can be a terrible place of comparison so when another mom or dad posts a picture of his/her kid having a terrible meltdown, I literally feel instantly bonded to that person. I feel less lonely in my own struggle, especially when I happen to cross it on a day where one of my precious peanuts isn’t being all that precious. It’s comforting to know that all those cutesy, smiling pictures we see of our friend’s children are tempered by the moments where you want to lock yourself in the bathroom, and curl into a ball in the bathtub, plug your ears and hum until all the screaming stops. Sometimes parenthood can seem like a whole lot of valleys with rare peaks of ease and lighthearted bliss. I’m grateful to everyone who lets me see their valley and even allow me to commiserate with them or offer them a little encouragement if I’ve been there or am currently there. I know I sure appreciate some of the pep talks I’ve gotten through some of my “tough day” Facebook posts.

Personally, I love to laugh.  I don’t just love to laugh, I NEED to laugh.  I have to be able to laugh at my tough situations otherwise I feel like they are trying to drown me. So posting a less than perfect photo and giving it a little humorous comment helps me lighten up over whatever the sticky situation may be.  And I very often need to force myself to lighten up. Let’s be honest, if you can’t get a giggle out of some of the crazy reactions kids have, then you’re missing out.  

Facebook is so generous to let us glimpse our lives one year, two years or however many years ago and remember where we were. When I stumble upon one of my kid’s crazy moments, I get a good laugh out of it. It’s also pretty encouraging to realize we made it through that phase, or day or illness. Let me tell you, I can only hope that a year from now I’ll look back and realize my now two year old grew out of some of the craziness he is going through right now. Already I see flashbacks from when he was a colicky baby and I realize we made it through that! We’re still standing and in retrospect that time was a short glimpse. More often than not it’s just a great reminder of how quickly my kids are growing and changing and that the tough moments don’t last forever! My kids definitely won’t stay young forever, so I need to cherish them now, in the good and bad moments.

Life is not just about the good moments and I really don’t want to censor my life down to just the happy times. The bad times are what strengthen us, teach us and bond us together.  After all, the sour moments are what make the good times that much sweeter!