Oh The Woes Of Parenting

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NIV

This post will not be neat and tidy, because life isn't neat and tidy. I can try to go in every few months and clean it up, start new rules, retire others, organize more, pray harder. When I've improved one area, another suffers for it, when I try to live under the myth that I can "do it all" I do well, for about 6 days and then I burn out. I'm only human and no matter what I do, I cannot control life. Life happens.



Baseball gloves get lost 10 minutes after they've been purchased.

In an effort to find a new, subtle, but abrupt, "mom can administer" consequence for bad behavior I take a friends advice and start pinching the upper thigh. Today I discover late last week a pinching outbreak began at daycare. My provider has no idea what or who started it.{{insert {coy smile} here}}

Shoes are my 18 month olds favorite toy. It never fails that the one shoe I want is the one I wont be able to find, walked around the house, thrown in the toilet, hidden under the crib, or mixed in with all of our retired shoes waiting to go to Good Will that currently litter the hallway floor.

Shark shirts go missing, and 4 year olds who think they are above rules will stick their hand into a full dryer mid cycle and burn it, badly, on the heating element, all in the hopes of finding said shirt. A week later, the shirt is still missing.

Maybe I'll find the shirt, the baseball glove, and the mates to all 3 of the sandals Owen had when he was Micah's age all in the same place. Maybe. But probably not until we move, as we have torn the house apart 3 times or more for each item missing.

Diapers are forgotten.

Blisters are broken open, and while trying to bandage them up I accidentally stick my finger right in the open sore. Ouch.  Apologies aren't working, in an effort to practice "Playful Parenting" I tell Owen he can WHALLOP me on the forehead. To his great delight I would laugh and recoil dramatically at each thwap.

Owen now asks me for permission to whallop me frequently.

Next thing I know there will be a whalloping outbreak at daycare.

Training wheels come off too early.

You know that phrase "If a child touches fire and get's burned, they'll never touch fire again" whoever coined it obviously did not have a strong willed child. 

Owen stops the dryer and sticks his hand inside it again.   Oh come on! Child, you just got severely hurt 4 days ago doing that exact same thing! Don't you EVER LEARN???? 

No, I did not say that. Yes, I wanted to.  I said something similar. But I didn't yell. Not really.

In an effort to be prepared for anything, everything we own is packed for a trip to the zoo. Everything except band-aids and Neosporin.  Before we'd even entered the gates Micah got his worst injury to date.

We now hold immense anger towards the double stroller for hurting our wee little child. Grr you! Stupid stroller!

Yes, I just said stupid.

And, yes I know that holding anger towards an inanimate object is futile. But he's hurt, and I'm mad, and it wasn't anyone's fault. Except the strollers. So there. I'm justified. When my babies thumb returns to it's normal size and doesn't look mangled and like it was bitten by a ravenous dog stroller, then maybe my anger will subside.

Rules are broken. Routinely. No matter how many time outs, spankings, or threats are dolled out. Parenting books are read, advice is taken, prayers are uttered, good intentions are set in place, but eventually the four year old with the will of a bull wears us thin, eventually we cave, and punish in anger instead of with love.  

And that my friends is really where this post begins and ends.

"And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." 2 Thessalonians 3:2-5