In this house
we do dishes, yes…
But we also do wild. Unorthodox.
We do mistakes.
We do second chances.
And third.
And four hundred and seventy-ninth.
*thankfully*
We do silly.
We do laughter.
We do real.
We do tomfoolery.
{and plenty more mistakes}
We do “I’m sorry’s”.
{A lot of “I’m sorry’s”}
We do loud.
We do long hugs.
Lots of sweet kisses.
We do grace.
We do family.
We do us.
Perfect imperfection.
It has been a tough parenting day. One of these days.
Actually it’s been a rough week. Ever since returning from our anniversary getaway, we’ve been dealing with incredibly unpleasant {see…I’m choosing my words wisely} behavior in my daughter; over-the-top whining and drama about every little thing, constant boundary-pushing, mega attitude and rudeness like we’ve not experienced from her before.
And today, I fell apart at the seams.
And it was the furthest thing from pretty. It was downright scary.
I failed miserably, shouting – in the heat of the moment; where utter exhaustion and intense furry collide – with such anger in my voice that my heart ached with regret as the dagger-like reprimands left my mouth.
Sure, she was wrong in behaving the way she did.
But now, so was I. My immature, impulsive handling of her behavior simply added fuel to the fire.
I get to choose: water or fuel. Today I grabbed the fuel.
It was one of the most ferocious crazy cycles we’ve ever been caught in, her and I.
I modeled such poor anger-management skills today that it breaks my heart to think about. The very heart attitude we are working to mold and transform in her was so starkly, blatantly revealed within me..and found wanting.
One of the hardest parts for me to swallow is this: I never was an angry person before this season of my life. Where is all this rage coming from? In 7 years of marriage, I have never spoken to my husband in the harsh, unkind way I did to my daughter today. I have become a yeller. And I hate it.
Maybe it’s simply that I was good at stuffing…and my toddler is good at digging.
Immature outbursts drenched in selfishness & impatience: 2
Tenderly delivered, grace-filled lessons in {tough} love: 0
And despite {many} apologies, my heart is still heavy.
What a horrible, ugly side of my heart emerged today. And my 3 year old, tender-hearted little girl, had a front seat.
Oh, how desperately in need of saving I still am.
How deeply I need accountability in the way I process my weary frustration in mothering toddlers. How vital support and friendship is to surviving this rollercoaster ride of parenthood.
How very grateful I am for God’s incredible patience with me. His ever-present mercy, grace and direction on this journey. His faithful protection of my daughter’s impressionable heart.
So I press on.
“God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.”
Lamentations 3:23-23 {The Message}
