Saturday, January 22, 2011

Guilty!

Has this ever happened to you?

Monday (or tuesday or friday or sunday...) morning, late again, dog bowl has mysteriously tipped over, phone is ringing, 4 year old whining because he doesn't want to wear his coat, yogurt stuck in my hair, and where are my keys anyway, 1 year old is jumping off the stairs, and why why why why can't I bring my monster truck to school, momma, whhhhhhhyyy?

You get one guess who gets in trouble for his transgressions and probably in a little more trouble than he would normally if everything else would have been going smoothly.  I mean, somebody's got to feel the brunt of my frustration right, and I can't really blame it on my 1 year old baby, or my friend who is calling me, or my dog....or myself.

Ouch.  This one hurts. 

How easy it is to punish our children out of the situation instead of the actual action.  Don't get me wrong.  We do not tolerate whining in our house.  It is cause for discipline.  But if I am honest with myself, in a situation like that, I expect Adler to act like the grown man that he is.  If he can't recognize the dire straits I am in and begin to act maturely as to ease my discomfort, there are consequences.....how utterly ridiculous does that sound?

I just finished reading, "Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches" by Rachel Jankovic and it has a whole chapter devoted to this nasty little habit.  This whole book really convicted me on a lot issues that I have already been struggling with but was unsure as to how to work through.  It really gave me a renewed sense of focus and direction.  It also reminded me to slow down and enjoy these years; they are SO fleeting. 

I could go on and on about the ways that it has changed my attitudes about motherhood and discipline, but really, what I think you should do, is pick one up yourself and get what you can from it. It is a short and entertaining but really delves into some important stuff.  I plan on reading it multiple times, as I have a pretty thick head sometimes.  I HIGHLY recommend it.

 

1 comment:

aunt vickie said...

Don't beat yourself up, sweet pea... just hug him and love him and do better next time... that said, I think I'll read that book, too...