John 11:27
She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe You are the Christ,
the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The fine art of parenting.


In spite of the six thousand manuals on child raising in the bookstores, child raising is still a dark continent and no one really knows anything.  You just need a lot of love and luck - and, of course, courage.  ~Bill Cosby, Fatherhood, 1986

 
 Bill Cosby has one thing right in his quote, "child raising is a dark continent." At least sometimes it is.  Today was a dark day.
  If you have children you might recognize the signs.

"I'm hungry" "Have some cereal." "BUT whine I'm hungry for something else"
or
"Let's get the school day started by practicing penmanship" 
"I don't know how to write" whine
   grrrrrrrrr

This is pointless, the counting in my head isn't working.
The overwhelming urge to thump a knot on his head is taking over. 
Dr. Leman's advice from Have a New Kid By Friday 
 has exited stage right via the steam rolling from my ears. 
ARGH! Stop. Pray. Time out for everyone. 
Sigh. Breath. Now let us try again.
I am having a dark day on a dark continent of parenting. 
I will do my best to NOT panic.
Kids in onery mode are like wild animals; they can smell your fear. 
I will avoid the pitfalls.  
I can rearrange, school to flex with the unruly breezes 
of  whine and I can't remember. 
I can overcome the frustration 
by not letting go of my map and guide, 
the 3 p's,  
PRAYER, PATIENCE, AND PERSEVERANCE. 
I am a homeschooling mother.
I can choose to believe that I am to be in control by 
setting boundaries and encouraging learning. 
It can be done. 
Smile. Sigh.
He is so cute. 


Help me Lord to remember that I need to cherish each moment 
even the dark ones.
Teach me to teach by example, lead with love, set reasonable boundaries, and have clear consequences for behaviors good and bad. And Please, Lord help us enjoy the times and people and experiences that are our lives.
I am building lives. Mine and the lives of my children deserve a Craftsman.
 
Where you find quality, you will find a craftsman, 
not a quality-control expert.
  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Tomorrow can be an 
"I can do it!" kinda day.

2 comments:

  1. Who knew Nate would be such a hassle... *sarcasm* Hahahaha, I'm just kidding. I don't think God could have blessed Nate and Rachel (or myself, Sarah, and Elisabeth, for that matter) with a more amazing example of what unconditional love is about.

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  2. i love my nate! even though he is a pain sometimes, we will never be able to fail at admitting we love him.

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