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1 ½ Years After My Wedding, I Saw Marriage Wasn’t for Me—When I Looked at my Wife, I Knew My Dad Was Right

"The nearer Kim and I approached the decision to marry, the more I was filled with a paralyzing fear. Was I ready? Was I making the right choice? Was Kim the right person to marry? Would she make me happy? Then, one fateful night..."

“I Looked Over to His Side of the Bed. He Wasn’t There. I Knew He Wouldn’t Be There, But for the First Time, It...

"I looked back to the bed. Still empty. And then it happened. I fell to my knees, and then to my back. It came from up from my gut. I could almost physically feel it moving to the top of my abdomen, to my chest, into my neck and then my head. I cannot describe the pain."

Mom Dies Giving Birth & Dad Lays Baby on Her Chest—10 Minutes Later, He Hears the Scream…

"You are so unbelievably excited that your child is born…and in the next moment you believe you’ll have to say farewell to your wife forever. It was like being numbed."

“The Last Thing I Wanted to Do Was Hug Her. She Just Bit Me. And Screamed at Me”: Mom Eats ‘Humble Pie,” Embraces Daughter After Tantrum

She had just bit me.

And screamed at me.

And did that thing where she makes an angry face and blocks me as I’m walking with every step I take.

The last thing I wanted to do was hug her.

But here I am, on the bathroom floor, engulfed in her embrace, her love, and the grace she was offering up to both herself and I at this moment.

You see, I’m not innocent in all this.

I had been distracted by a last-minute project.

I was half-ignoring her.

I had just returned from a weekend getaway without her, and here I was, not even home for two full hours, and my actions were shouting to her, ‘I don’t have time for you and this toddler nonsense.’

She whined. I yelled.

She took. I grabbed back.

She screamed. I screamed louder.

She wanted to be in control. So did I.

And so she lost it on me, and she bit me; not hard, but I sure overdramatized it to make a point.

I placed her in timeout and ventured a bit away from her to have my own.

It only took a few seconds, and I came to my senses.

Her behavior this afternoon was an age-appropriate semi-involuntarily, unthought-out, reactionary response to a newly-home mama who wasn’t giving her deserved attention or the gift of her time.

And, so, I grabbed a piece of humble pie from the kitchen and swallowed my pride on the way to her.

‘Do you need a hug?,’ I asked her. I sure did.

She obliged, and I hugged her tight.

And then tighter.

You see, when our little humans act up or out, they don’t need you to shame them, your judgment, a punishment, or an ineffective timeout.

No.

What they need is you and your presence, your awareness, acceptance from you, understanding, your empathy, a plethora of grace, and a hug.

Not like that, but tighter.

Even tighter.

A little bit tighter.

Yep — just like that.

Good job, mama.

Growing up is hard, and you’re both doing a really good job.”

Nicole Merritt of Jthreenme
Nicole Merritt
Nicole Merritt
Nicole Merritt is a mother of three, a freelance writer, co-host of I Am The Worst Parent Ever Podcast and the Owner and Founder of jthreeNMe; an imperfectly authentic peek at real-life marriage, parenting, and self-improvement. jthreeNMe is raw, honest, empowering, inspiring, and entertaining; it’s like chicken soup for those that are exhausted, over-stressed and under-inebriated, yet still utterly happy. Nicole's work has been featured by NBC's TODAY Show, Love What Matters, Scary Mommy, The Good Men Project, Elephant Journal, CafeMom, Popsugar, Motherly & many others. You can follow Nicole at jthreeNMe.com and as @jthreeNMe on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter!

1 ½ Years After My Wedding, I Saw Marriage Wasn’t for Me—When I Looked at my Wife, I Knew My Dad Was Right

"The nearer Kim and I approached the decision to marry, the more I was filled with a paralyzing fear. Was I ready? Was I making the right choice? Was Kim the right person to marry? Would she make me happy? Then, one fateful night..."

“I Looked Over to His Side of the Bed. He Wasn’t There. I Knew He Wouldn’t Be There, But for the First Time, It...

"I looked back to the bed. Still empty. And then it happened. I fell to my knees, and then to my back. It came from up from my gut. I could almost physically feel it moving to the top of my abdomen, to my chest, into my neck and then my head. I cannot describe the pain."

Mom Dies Giving Birth & Dad Lays Baby on Her Chest—10 Minutes Later, He Hears the Scream…

"You are so unbelievably excited that your child is born…and in the next moment you believe you’ll have to say farewell to your wife forever. It was like being numbed."