Ten Reasons I'm Thankful for my Cranky Two-Year-Old

With the Thanksgiving season upon us, I think it's important to try to make an extra effort to look around us for items and people we wouldn't ordinarily give thanks for.  This is especially important for mothers of young children.  It's what keeps us sane and reminds us that "This too shall pass."  This year, the Thanksgiving season has melded with the dreaded cold season, and any mama knows that makes for a tough time on our young ones.  So, amidst the tantrums and handkerchiefs, I spent the morning mulling over ways to flip this over to it's positive side, and actually give thanks for having a cranky little man in the house. 

Ten Reasons I'm Thankful for my Cranky Two-Year-Old

Not showering comes with unexpected benefits:

1.  I looked so rough yesterday when I went to vote, people let me ahead of them in line.  I only spent 15 minutes at the poll.

2.  I really got to see the depths of my husband's love when after three days of not showering, he still rubbed my feet at the end of a long day.

3.  When my hair is actually clean, I get great compliments from Blair like, "Did you get your hair done today?  It looks really great!"

And then there's three-fold blessing of crafting with a little one:

4.  I have so much glue stick in my hair I will never have to buy hair product again.  Hello extra money in my pocket.
 
5.  I'm able to craft while sitting down and resting.
 
6.  There are so many little paper leaves on the floor that it looks like autumn in Vermont (and this is probably the closest I'll ever get to seeing that).

Giving Thanks For the Snot

7.  My non-snuggly little one is snuggly.

8.  All of this snuggle time has allowed me the rare opportunity to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving at least 14 times in the last two days.  Now if anything ever happens to our DVD, I can simply quote it.  This may come in handy at dinner parties...

9.  My son will probably be the only member of his generation to know what a handkerchief is.  Long live the tradition!

And finally, I am giving thanks for the fact that:

10. The only thing wrong with my child is a little head cold. So many children in this world suffer from much worse, and my child is an overall happy, healthy little one.

So, there you go, mamas.  It may be difficult, but there are blessings mixed in amongst our trials.  Have a lovely day and give your babies an extra hug.