When they say parenting isn’t for the faint of heart, it is so true! I find that when parenting always seems easy then I am not actually doing the best job I can be doing. There are definitely moments of joy and success, but generally it takes a lot of hard work to get there.
It’s easy to let kids get their way to avoid a meltdown.
It’s easy to let them do electronics all the time to buy a few seconds of time to yourself.
It’s easy to spread yourself too thin to make sure your kids don’t miss out on a single opportunity in life and get to “do all the things.”
It’s easy to let things slide until it feels like every moment of your life is a hot mess.
It’s easy to loose my temper and yell when someone else is doing the same thing.
I’ve written a lot in the past about the different stages of parenting. The physical exhaustion of the late nights with an infant or trying to keep toddlers from tearing down the house. The mental exhaustion of answering the never ending questions of a kindergartner or helping a fifth grader divide decimals. The emotional exhaustion of trying to bargain with a child on a sugar high or help a teenager through a hormonal rage. It’s all a lot. And it’s all a mess. We are just all here trying to do our best!
This season in our life has been a doozie. Not bad, just not easy. It’s hard to stop the cycle. I have had to be really intentional about sitting down with the boys and actually talking to them to get to the heart of the matter. Screaming and yelling and making demands never seems to get me anywhere. But recently I’ve noticed when my boys are being particular terrible it’s not usually the situation that is bothering them. When I have bitten my tongue and actually given my time and attention something crazy happens. It actually helps. Sometimes it take a half an hour of silence sitting on the couch while they process and get their big growing emotions out in a safe place. The hurt and pain a child goes through in their mind is still theirs, whether it is actually big or small.
It isn’t easy to let your child live by their own natural consequences or mom given punishments, but hopefully we all make it out better in the long run.
Contrary to popular belief - I don’t think sports are the end all of a child’s life. I think they are great to develop sportsmanship, and discipline, and skills. They generally keeps kids out of trouble and help them stay in shape. All good things. But sometimes they also run the kids ragged. And they run parents and siblings ragged too. I love nothing more than watching my kids do what they love but I also know it is my responsibility to make sure that they aren’t doing things just because it’s in style.
But like all things, sport are just a season in life. With a sprinkling on compassion, many hours of talking and plan making, and lots of REST... I have a happy, brilliant, motivated kid back.
It’s easy to let kids get their way to avoid a meltdown.
It’s easy to let them do electronics all the time to buy a few seconds of time to yourself.
It’s easy to spread yourself too thin to make sure your kids don’t miss out on a single opportunity in life and get to “do all the things.”
It’s easy to let things slide until it feels like every moment of your life is a hot mess.
It’s easy to loose my temper and yell when someone else is doing the same thing.
I’ve written a lot in the past about the different stages of parenting. The physical exhaustion of the late nights with an infant or trying to keep toddlers from tearing down the house. The mental exhaustion of answering the never ending questions of a kindergartner or helping a fifth grader divide decimals. The emotional exhaustion of trying to bargain with a child on a sugar high or help a teenager through a hormonal rage. It’s all a lot. And it’s all a mess. We are just all here trying to do our best!
This season in our life has been a doozie. Not bad, just not easy. It’s hard to stop the cycle. I have had to be really intentional about sitting down with the boys and actually talking to them to get to the heart of the matter. Screaming and yelling and making demands never seems to get me anywhere. But recently I’ve noticed when my boys are being particular terrible it’s not usually the situation that is bothering them. When I have bitten my tongue and actually given my time and attention something crazy happens. It actually helps. Sometimes it take a half an hour of silence sitting on the couch while they process and get their big growing emotions out in a safe place. The hurt and pain a child goes through in their mind is still theirs, whether it is actually big or small.
It isn’t easy to let your child live by their own natural consequences or mom given punishments, but hopefully we all make it out better in the long run.
Contrary to popular belief - I don’t think sports are the end all of a child’s life. I think they are great to develop sportsmanship, and discipline, and skills. They generally keeps kids out of trouble and help them stay in shape. All good things. But sometimes they also run the kids ragged. And they run parents and siblings ragged too. I love nothing more than watching my kids do what they love but I also know it is my responsibility to make sure that they aren’t doing things just because it’s in style.
Passed out while waiting for the bus.
But like all things, sport are just a season in life. With a sprinkling on compassion, many hours of talking and plan making, and lots of REST... I have a happy, brilliant, motivated kid back.
Chicken whisperer
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