Mothering

Sometimes the boy's behavior gets off the path.  It's our fault, we let a small infraction go uncorrected and then that quickly becomes the norm.  Next is a small infraction off of the new norm and that gets left unchecked, and so on until one day, it hits you.  This behavior, attitude, and speech is unacceptable.  How did this happen?  Where are we?  What path are we on, I don't even recognize it.

Then as parents, we get all hard-core and go back to the straight and narrow, allowing for no deviations from it.  Which leads to a lot of tears and gnashing of teeth (the boys too).  Next I feel like all I'm doing is barking at the boys and no one feels loved and happy to be in our family.  That's where we've been last week, and this week I've re-read some of my parenting inspirations and am recharged to parent better. 

Here's how I'm working to be a better parent.  Working to catch them when they are good, and praise them richly for it.  Pass out the love and hugs right away before anyone has a chance to get in a spat and bring out the nasty.  Make time for each of them individually.  Compliment them daily on their good character traits/efforts.  Make sure they all go to bed, and to sleep, at a decent hour so they are their best rested selves and I can get some "Mom" stuff done in the quiet late evening hours so I can be my best rested self too.  Refocus on memorizing scripture and quiet reading time.  Encourage them to read, or "read" as the case may be, their Bibles daily.  Read my Bible daily.

I'm putting this out here for some accountability.  I'll post again in about a week with how it's been going.  Parenting is difficult and I'm striving to always do better.