So God Made a Mother is Here! 🎉

Rowdy. 

Stubborn.

Moody.

Unpredictable.

Independent.

Messy.

These are the words we use to describe toddlers. Heck, these are words I’ve used to describe my own on more than one occasion.

And it’s true—toddlers are the wildest kind of rollercoaster.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend to love the tornado of stuff they scatter through the house or the surprises they leave in the bathroom. 

There are times I feel my patience wear thin as I wait for my impossibly independent son to put his shoes on his own feet (backward), all the while knowing we’re already so late to wherever we’re going. 

I get burnt out from the sheer volume that comes out of their little mouths—the ones that haven’t quite mastered the inside-voice. And those shrieky play-screams? Don’t even get me started on the level of grimace those cause me.

Some evenings the bedtime routine absolutely breaks me as I plea with a stubborn toddler to get in bed, lie down, and stay.

RELATED: The Toddler Years Will Break You

And I will never, ever, understand why milk in a red cup is perfectly acceptable, but milk in a blue cup is grounds for a knockdown, drag-out tantrum.

Raising toddlers is hard, no doubt about it. There’s a reason the terms “terrible twos” and “threenagers” exist, after all.

But can I just say this?

For every difficult characteristic of a toddler, there are at least 10 magnificent ones.

Toddlers are sweet.

Adorable.

Forgiving.

Curious.

Helpful.

HILARIOUS.

Lovable.

They’ll bring you to your knees in a fit of belly laughter one moment, then melt your heart the next with an unprompted, “I wuv you.”

You can be grumpy from sunup to sundown, but when you tuck them in at night they’ll still wrap their sweet little arms around your neck and tell you you’re the best mommy in the world. 

RELATED: The Secret No One Told Me About the Toddler Years is How Much I Could Absolutely Love Them

And cute—oh my gosh, are they ever cute. Those crooked grins, bright, sparkling eyes, and tiny voices that adorably mispronounce half the words they say. Be still, my heart. 

Toddlers remind us all that really matters is spending time with the ones we love.

They have the uncanny ability to distract us from the demands of this world with a tea party or round of hide-and-seek—you know, the kind where they think they’re hidden perfectly behind the curtain, but you can see their cute little toes sticking out from a mile away.

The curiosity of toddlers is unparalleled. They’re full of questions and so obviously interested in everything that it reminds us to slow down and take it all in a little bit more, too.

They forgive our mess-ups.

They wipe our tears.

They make us smile.

They amaze us with their innocent but deep insights.

They tell the truth no matter what.

They remind us of everything good.

They fill our hearts.

RELATED: So God Made a Toddler

Toddlers can be challenging—you won’t get any argument from me there. But they are so much more than that and deserve to be celebrated for all they are.

I’m convinced they are some of the sweetest humans on Earth . . . and just like babies, toddlers don’t keep.

P.S. How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen has been a go-to for us while parenting toddlers. Don’t have time to sit and read? You can listen here, on Audible.

Recommendations in this post contain affiliate links. Her View From Home may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase.

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Casey Huff

Casey is Creative Director for Her View From Home. She's mom to three amazing kiddos and wife to a great guy. It's her mission as a writer to shed light on the beauty and chaos of life through the lenses of motherhood, marriage, and mental health. To read more, go hang out with Casey at: Facebook: Casey Huff Instagram: @casey.e.huff

The Miscarriage I Had Decades Ago Is Still a Tender Wound

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood
Sad feeling woman walking in early twilight

It’s funny how grief tends to bury itself in the recesses of one’s mind until it literally rises from the dead at some point and resurrects through the experience of others.  I did not know how traumatized I was when I lost a baby in 1993 through miscarriage, or what my doctor termed as a “spontaneous abortion,” until a friend recanted his wife’s similar experience to me. The hurt and denial of the past sprung back to the present rather quickly as if it was happening to me all over again. My husband and I couldn’t have been happier when...

Keep Reading

A Mother Doesn’t Lose Herself—She Grows into Someone New

In: Grown Children, Motherhood, Teen
Son kissing his mother's forehead, outdoor photo

A part of us dies when we have a child. And we don’t mind at the time because the child becomes our world and fills the gap that was formed. And me becomes us and I is forgotten. We’ll get our life back one day. We’ll get our self back on track soon—perhaps when they are toddlers, or go to school, have sleepovers, or become teens. But we don’t. Because our life as we knew it has gone. It simply drifted away. And as much as we tried to cling to some small part, it crumbled as we touched it...

Keep Reading

We Have a Lot of Pets and It’s the Best

In: Living, Motherhood
Collage of kids with animals, color photo

We are the house with a lot of animals. Yep, that one. Each time I call my mom to delicately mention we are thinking of adopting another pet, I am met with the same disapproving tone, “ANOTHER dog?” Let’s be fair, we are only shopping around for our third. It’s not that crazy, but I get it’s more than most. Oh, and we also have a horse. But hear me out . . .  My oldest son has autism and used to be terrified of our dog. She was patient with him, she kept her distance, and she slowly broke...

Keep Reading

The Grace and Grief of Being a Medical Mama

In: Faith, Motherhood
Hospital bed and IV stand, black-and-white photo

Medical mama—this title and this view hit me. It hits me at different times and in different ways, but it hits me, hard.  Some days, I crumble with thankfulness that God has such a specific plan for my sweet, golden, middle daughter, that He would make ways where it feels there is no way.  There are other times when it hits me with anger and bitterness because I can’t figure out why, in a world full of medical interventions, this is our “fix.”  It hits me.  In the wee hours of another night in the hospital, it hits me that grace...

Keep Reading

I Buried My Heart with My Baby but God Brought Me Back to Life

In: Faith, Grief, Loss, Motherhood
Woman in a sweater standing outside looking at sunset

Recently, my world felt as if it were crashing around me. I was so angry I think my rage could have burned a small village. Unfortunately, that rage was directed at God though I knew that wasn’t what I needed to be directing toward Him. He owed me nothing then, and He owes me nothing now; however, my heart was shattered, and for a while, it seemed as if my faith was crumbling with it. I stopped going to church. I stopped praying. I stopped all positive feelings and allowed myself to succumb to the pain and the anger. When...

Keep Reading

Look beyond the Labels for What You Don’t See

In: Kids, Motherhood
Three kids sitting on parents' laps smiling

I’ve always said that labeling someone with high- or low-functioning autism, or any disability for that matter, isn’t ever truly accurate. You may see an extremely smart girl who seems “normal” but you don’t see everything. You don’t see how the noises hurt her ears. You don’t see how the bright lights hurt her eyes. You don’t see how hard she struggles to fit in. You don’t see how she struggles to understand the social cues. You don’t see how seriously she takes what you say even if you’re joking. You don’t see the struggles when she’s having an overwhelming...

Keep Reading

Dear New Mom, God Is Only a Whisper Away

In: Baby, Faith, Motherhood
New mother holding baby on couch, eyes closed

While we were waiting to adopt, I would wake up in the middle of the night panicky. My mind would wander to the thought of suddenly having a baby. With groggy eyes and a cobwebbed mind, I would ask myself, “Could I get up right now to go soothe a crying baby?” And then the insecurities would flood me as I thought through the difficulty of dragging myself out of bed to give milk to a fussy newborn. I didn’t know if I could.  With each application sent to agencies and social workers, the possibility of adopting a baby became more...

Keep Reading

And We Rocked

In: Motherhood
Black and white photo of a baby sleeping

My belly had grown and stretched to make room for you. I simply couldn’t wait to see your little face. I sat in your nursery, which was nearly complete, and whispered all the thoughts, fears, and feelings that filled my mind. You kicked in response as if to remind me we were in this together. And we rocked. Everyone told me that babies sleep a lot. But not you. It was as if you didn’t want to miss one moment of this big, beautiful life. I was to my bones tired. You refused to sleep. We continued this merry-go-round where...

Keep Reading

Did I Make Caring for You My Idol?

In: Motherhood
Little boy sitting in lawn chair, color photo

When my disabled son, Lucas, was an adorable little boy, I thought (and declared loudly!) that as long as I was alive and well, I would care for him. I was his mother and no one could ever provide for him as I would. And I completely believed this up until about five years ago. It started with puberty as Lucas blossomed into manhood, shedding his adorableness, and my mental and physical health deteriorated as he grew larger and stronger and became aggressive at times. I whispered to my husband, late at night with tears streaming down my face after...

Keep Reading

When You Look Back on These Pictures, I Hope You Feel My Love

In: Kids, Motherhood
Four kids playing in snow, color photo

I document your life in pictures. I do it for you. I do it for me. I do it because I want you to know I lived every memory. And loved every moment. When you go back through the thousands of moments, I hope it sparks something deep inside of you. Something that perhaps your heart and mind had forgotten until that moment. And I hope that it makes you smile.  I hope the memories flood and you remember how much each moment was cherished.  I hope each giggle and secret that was shared with your sisters at that moment sparks...

Keep Reading