Ode to the Inventor of "Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures"

I freaking love parenthood.  It is fun and oftentimes just plain hilarious.  It's full of surprises and watching your kid learn new things every day (well, when they're 20 months old, at least).  People so often say that when you become a parent you discover a love that you never knew you were capable of.  It's said so often that it's lost its meaning.  But it's so true.

But Parenthood is a full-time gig.  And I'm not full-time nice or energetic or capable of selflessly giving.  This is where the beauty of the concept "desperate times call for desperate measures" comes in.  I want to kiss whoever made up that phrase and then yell "THANK YOU!" at the top of my lungs.  I love this phrase.  When I feel exhausted or stressed or hormonal...or all three - I pull out this phrase and wrap it around me like a warm, fuzzy blanket.  Somehow, this phrase makes me feel like whatever solution I come up with for the current problem is not only acceptable but also a little bit genius.

The last time this phrase literally made my night was a few days ago.  After listening to Douglas whine incessantly while I simultaneously tried to cook dinner and get him to eat almond yogurt, then brown rice and salmon, then applesauce (all of which he has eaten happily many times), I silently chanted the Desperate Times Mantra and plopped a couple of cold chicken fingers down on his tray.  I realize this isn't a super desperate measure.  It is only a desperate measure because a) I never feed him chicken fingers and b) there is a slight chance that there is dairy in them which will mean he will have a stomach ache or a runny nose.  This was the alternative to me screaming very loudly and Dougie going to bed hungry.  Immediate silence ensued - and continued until Douglas was done with dinner and Micah got home from work for play time.

Thank God Micah brought home chicken finger leftovers from his road trip the day before.  Thank God they were in the fridge when a Desperate Times moment hit.  Thank God Dougie apparently loves cold chicken fingers with all his heart.  And Thank God for daddies who come home from work, take their work shoes off, put their flip flops on, and take their son out to the back patio where they then proceed to ride tiny kid bikes together. 

Parenthood is full of countless Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures moments - all kinds of them.  I think half the battle is just learning to accept that, do what you have to do, and then laugh about it all.