Today was one of those days were for some reason my kids wake up and they are sure the rules have changed. All of a sudden they decided that whining and crying are the way we communicate around here. Hitting and kicking are how we settle disputes, and drawing on our sisters projects are a way to develop good relationships. It’s one of those days after the tenth time of sending my son to time out, a phone call gets placed to the commander and chief of our home, otherwise known as Daddy! When this phone call takes place the kids know it is mommies last straw.
Days like this can go several different ways depending on the amount of sleep and food I have had, as well as how much one on one time I’ve had with Mark or any other adult that can provide me with stimulating conversations. Some days I laugh it off, some days I cry, and some days I do both.
But, the thing that helps me the most is intimate conversations with the Holy Spirit and deep breathing! In the moments of chaos and frustrations I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom and direction. I pray for understanding and patience. I also try and get a grasp on the heart issues that my kid’s are struggling with at the moment. For example Titus is getting a grip on self-control, being able to stop himself from touching something that isn’t his, stopping himself before he hits one of his sisters, stopping when I have told him no about something. But, I have to remember that when we get to a mile marker place in their lives when they are learning a life skill such as self-control, it doesn’t happen overnight. I have to remember to persevere and put in the hard, loving work of training. Not growing weary in doing good. I must continue to pray for my son. For it is out of this training that the adult man he is to become is going to be formed. I can either do it with patience and love, giving him the teaching mold he will probably follow when he grows up and has kids or I can be harsh, yell, and make it miserable for both of us.
There are rarely easy answers to parenting, most of them, I would say a majority of them are simply praying for wisdom from the Holy Spirit for patience and the ability to give my kid’s the time they need for their brain to process so it can follow up with action. Eventually they even out and become the sweet little person I know is inside them some where. But, I must remember my kiddo’s are little and are still learning to be gentle and kind, they are still learning to be self-controlled and patient. It is up to me to breath and call on the name of the Lord who loves my kids more than I can ever imagine. He has a plan and a purpose for them, a plan to prosper them and not to harm them, a plan to give them a hope and a future.
On days like today I must keep an eternal perspective, I must remember that how I train my kids today will effect the adult they are to become! I pray I can be the role model my kiddo’s need to be amazingly loving and caring adults that will be a bright light in a weary and dark world.