There’s this little guy in my life named Aiden. Soon, he will be more than just a little boy. He will be my son. I find myself waiting in quiet anticipation for the moment he is legally mine. We are already past the point of no return with him, in our hearts and in our lives. We made a choice, as many parents of biological children do, to parent.

The challenges of parenthood are many. I find that I am my greatest obstacle to success as a parent. Even at 35, I struggle with selfishness, pride, and a critical spirit. It’s so easy to tell Allyson over the phone that "he’s just 3, cut him a break." It’s another thing to respond to him in love when he persistently questions with no regard for my personal space. Ha! What an attitude of entitlement I have! All of that must be put to death!

Here are a few photos of our trip to Dairy Queen a few weeks ago. We battled through weeks of unbearably bad behavior on his part, and felt at the time that we’d never see the end of it. I think the end of that time has come. He still has three-year-old moments (as do I at times!), but he is beyond the crazy Mommy-torture that had us throwing our hands in the air. He gets rewarded with a single sticker for a good nap time, and after 5 stickers to fill a row on his nap chart, he earns a treat. We’ve been doing ice cream, but now have added other options, such as a small gift.