Not a Text Book Kind of Life

I was talking with someone the other day when it became clear to me that my life in not a text book…

This kind lady is in a different phase of life, has had different life experiences and different gifts, talents and interests than I do. Our conversation covered topics such as why the schools don’t have the funding to keep art in elementary school, time management, career choices and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As we chatted I realized that her perspective on those and many other issues came from time she has invested in reading & studying, speaking with researchers and “authorities” on various topics. I respect her view point and the time that she has devoted to bring her to the present place of her opinions and ideas. Her ideas are “evidence” based and have proven to bring positive outcomes for many people.

I have thought about our conversation a lot since it occurred and I have come to the conclusion that I am not living in a text book…

When I was 16 and all my other friends had boy friends and I wasn’t even really interested in dating.

When I was out serving a mission for the Lord for 18 months, my friends were getting married & having children.

When I finally did get married my friends had to leave behind one, two or three children to come to my wedding.

When I had my first child, I read every book and article I could get my hands on to know how to take care of a baby only to find that none of the things in the book worked…the instructions on how to get a baby to nurse, how to get a baby to sleep through the night, how to potty train a toddler, how to get a picky eater to eat.

Then I had baby number two and once again those parenting books let me down. I began to take the advice and “gospel truth” from those parenting books with a grain of salt coming to the conclusion that whoever wrote those either didn’t have children, had nanny, or only ever had one child.

I am not living inside a text book or some well designed social science experiment. I am living “real” life with other humans who have unpredictable feelings, ideas, likes, dislikes, emotions, and personalities.

However there are two pieces of advice, given by humble friends, that have proven to be effective where text books & “expert” advice have let me down…  

“Be a Tracy kind of mom” 

& 

“Listen to your mommy radar”. 

I have come to believe that I am better equipped than I first realized at knowing how to take care of the particular kiddos I have been blessed with...after all my kiddos are not text book kids.