Infinite Patience and Calm

I'm going to try to describe what it's like to be Robert's mom. It's actually very difficult to describe. People understand best when they see for themselves. But since very few people see Robert's less pleasant side, and more people should understand what it's like, I'm going to attempt it.

First of all, I love my son very, very much. Or more accurately, I love my son's sweet personality very, very much. I also love him when he's hellishly difficult, even though it might not seem like it sometimes. We actually have as good of a relationship as I think we can. Other's might disagree.

All I can say is, I may not always be as sweet and understanding as those who've only seen his angelic side wish I was. But I do my very best 85-90% of the time. Yes, there are days and times when I'm cranky and everything he says and does, gets on my nerves. Even in his sweetest state, he has quirks that can be challenging. The main quirk is his incessant talking. 75% of the time, Robert is talking nonstop. Cameron always jokes, and sometimes he's not joking, about wishing there was on "off" button somewhere on Robert. It would be a very convenient feature! ;) Then the next time he's about to meltdown, we could just switch him off and wait until we think he's cooled down sufficently, and turn him back on again in a good mood. Boy, wouldn't that be nice!

But unfortunately, that's not the way it works. And since they don't usually issue tranquilizer darts to parents (lots of parents would appreciate them, not just us ;)), we use much more ordinary and boring methods. :) Raising Robert is a lot like raising a lion. Just like a young lion, he's very cute and lovable when he's in a good mood. He's very amiable and fun too. That's when it's easiest to be his parent. But just like with a young lion, he's also unpredictable. I've found that anyone who says they understand Robert or that they get him, doesn't understand or get him at all. Because anyone who has seen all of Robert, never says things like that anymore. They've seen the lion roar or attack, (Robert rarely hurts anyone. But he does throw amazing tantrums.)
and they know they can't always predict it. Even Cameron and I can't always predict how he will react. We just have the most experience reading his moods and are they best at predicting.

(I love to write, but writing about Robert at home, is surprisingly exhausting. Too much emotion and history involved, I guess. So I'll write more later. :))