myShannonigans

Mom's gonna lose her mind!

I hate nothing more than to wake up and then have children and teens bicker at one another and try to drag me into their chaos!  It is amazing how one sour attitude can contaminate the entire family!  It can be an out-of-control virus!  Or a wild fire spreading to child to teen to parent!

Give me 10 minutes of that and I was praying...Lord, get me out of this mess!  Next, thing I know He gave me a plan of action!

Called the 2 who started the mess and advised them they would now have to work together and clean the kitchen.

• If they fussed without serving one another I would give them another room to clean, TOGETHER!  
• If the child fussed...then even the teen would be in trouble.  
• If the teen fussed...then even the child would be in trouble.  
• The GOAL...they would help each other do right verses pointing out each others faults!  

Where are our expectations when it comes to parenting?

I think we all seem to have this idea that we teach, then we discipline the child, then...no need to address the situation again.  Well, let me be frank.....GET THAT IDEA OUT OF YOUR HEAD!  We are setting ourselves up for failure, disappointment, and frustration when we think we train once and it is over.  I can tell you for certain as a mom of 8 kids from 20 - 3 years that you will repeat yourself over and over a gazillion times! 

• Did you know to discipline is to disciple?
• Did you know to disciple it to train?
• Did you know training is on going? 

Training doesn't mean they are trained...it means we are working on this!  

I recently read an article on "Why French Parents Are Superior" and I loved how they view parenting as educating.  We see parenting as discplining which gives a negative connotation.  I like the positive feeling I get when I think of parenting as educating!  

• Are we educating our kids how to sit and eat in a restaurant?
• Are we educating our children how to shop at Target without running down the isles?
• Are we educating our children how to play quietly at the doctors office?
• Are we educating our children how to politely get our attention?
• Are we educating our children how to entertain themselves without Video, TV's, mom's attention or constant entertainment?  

What is a parent to do?

Tell your children what you expect.   
(how to act in whatever situation you are about to walk into)
Then inspect what you expect.   
(hold them accountable when they do not follow your directions)

Children are a blessing to us and others when they are trained!  I have yet to have a child that doesn't want to please mom and dad. We have fun teaching them the best way to show others what you believe is OBEDIENCE!  We always make sure when adults compliment our children we tell them....YOU were a testimony/blessing to others in what you just did (describing how they obeyed).  They always (always may be an exaggeration...most the time is more accurate...LOL) seem eager to tackle another store and see if they can do it again.  Mom wins (because I can keep shopping) they win (because they know they just pleased mom!...which also means...they just pleased God!)

We are far from perfect!  We are still in training!  I've got a crazy 3 year old boy who is learning the ropes.  So don't judge us when you see me on my knees, talking to him eye to eye at Target, to look at mom and OBEY! 

Life is just full of the unexpected!  Take one simple day to celebrate a birthday and before long it has turned into something more than I predicted!  It has been a crazy busy year for us.  My husband decides to take off work to honor me.  Trying to spend a little time together was all we were aiming to do.  Of course we had a few details to tidy up first!  Let's see if I can re-cap the events!

First off my husband takes me to Chiropractor, then helps college daughter get her car out of the shop, back to pick me up...(you see I left my keys in the van from the night before and completely drained the battery!)  He was so sweet to take care of us!  Back to the house to jump the van then off for our day date we go! 

He did recommend I NOT leave my purse in the car!  But I was positive I did not want to set my brand new purse on the GROSS movie theater floor!  (I should have opted for the gross floor vs no purse at all!)  He put my purse in the back, under the seat to keep it safe.  I grab his hand and off we go enjoying our moments together!  Having some great laughs, hand in hand, we walk back to the van and discover the crime!

A gazillion phone calls, 2 iphone batteries completely drained, bank cards cancelled, window busted, purse stolen, checks stopped, and a 4 hour police wait...I think I will heed my husbands advice next time.  (I love this man who didn't complain about me leaving my purse in the car, he didn't yell at the sight of the broken window, and was kind to everyone who stopped to talk!) 

We found humor in the police dusting the van for finger prints when they were amazed at how small some of the prints were!  Well, YOU think that might be because we have 8 kids!  LOL

So....I don't know about YOU...but I think the little one did it!  




Here was my husbands facebook post for the evening....."A great day despite the theft.  In the 3hours we had to wait I got the opportunity to meet and talk to all kinds of people. When people see people who's day may be going a little worse than their own they suddenly become a little less guarded and a bit more caring. I guess you could say the worst in some people brought out the best in others today. God is good all the time."

All in all it was a great birthday!  Great weather and a reminder I married the perfect man for me!

It is definitely a wild year!  I've pretty much resolved myself to the fact I will have to rely upon the Lord because there is NO possible way to manage it all! 

We are in the sandwich generation!  You know, the one where you are caring for your children and helping with your parents.  It's funny though, because even though some days I am drop dead tired I'll do it again tomorrow if needed!

I wonder if I could actually say we are in the triple sandwich generation, or actually maybe the quadruple sandwich generation. 

1. Caring for parents
2. Raising a toddler
3. Parenting teens
4. Influencing our young adult college students

That doesn't include nurturing a marriage and parenting our 7-10 year olds!  Those 2 things actually seem easy at the moment!

No matter where I find myself I must fill my cup because if you are a mom, you are being squooshed one way or another!  That can be a scary thing when you aren't sure what will come out during the squooshing process!  I grab what I can to fill my cup!  Whether it be digging into Scripture, calling out in prayer, reaching for a friend, attending a study to remind me what is important, or just having my husband hold me for awhile.  God is good to give me a variety of resources to make me a viable mom!

When the squooshing reveals the unpleasant, that is my cue to dig deep!  I won't always respond well but I am thankful God will always be within a moments grasp!  No matter what, I will be thankful I am able to be squooshed!  To say I have grown up with loving parents and have been blessed with 8 wonderful children, I count it a pleasure to be squooshed!