It is no surprise that I love my kids. Thankfully, the Lord knows when and how to gently reprimand me and make me aware of how I can change for the better as a mother. C has been out of control recently, trying to establish his own independence and stopping at nothing to make sure he gets it. As a desparate measure, I went to Barnes and Noble and started reading through about 5 different books on parenting and discipline. The one I brought home isPractical Parenting from Birth to Six Years this is through the Love and Logic seminar experts.
I have heard of Love and Logic, but have never looked into the "magical tips" they claim for parenting.
While I went through the book A Call to Die, the Lord showed me how much I clung to control in my life. In every aspect I desire to control my situation, and if it doesn't go my way, then any barage of reactions take over....anger, self-pity, fatigue, stress, etc. God has been dealing with me and I learned to let the King of all Creation have control of my life, instead of doing it all on my own. I need to repent, because that last few weeks, I have been sick, tired, not getting up on time to get my devos in before the kids get up and it has taken a toll on how I react when the kids are naughty. The Love and Logic book has gently opened my eyes to how I have stepped right back into my old ways of not letting the Lord teach me as I teach my children.
I see that C's desire of seeking his own identity in life is normal and by treating it as rebellion and getting angry, I am just fueling the fire. Instead, every time he doesn't listen, I need to be mindful of how he can learn about responsiblity, right decision making, and autonomy. His anger and outburst have to be learned and sadly they are probably learned by me. Why am I punishing my son, for something that I have taught him? ouch?My boys are growing up so fast and i tend to resist it instead of embrace it.
Lord, help me to turn every moment into a a positive learning experience where they feel confident of Your love and the love of their parents that they know who they are in Christ and they can flourish as independent thinkers being mindful of what is right and wrong and how their decisions affect themselves and those around them.
1 comment:
Melanie, You are doing a great job as a Mom! You're an example to me b/c I have never seen you get "angry " with your kids, you are always calm...although I haven't been around for about 8 months! Hang in there! We had to read a book called "Shepherding a Child's Heart" for work and I remember thinking that I wanted to read it again when I had kids, you could try that one too! Miss you friend...preggos yet?
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