Just a reminder to me!

We've had a trying few days around here. I think it's totally normal, but the discipline issues and testing of this mommy's patience has been extreme. Christian was born with a very strong will! I know that God just wired him that way, but teaching him to use it for good and not for the misery of others is a challenging task. Lately our issues it the "N-O" word. Christian loves to tell me "no." He's even started telling me "never" just to have a greater impact on my nerves. And when he says it he sort of sticks his nose in the air in defiance. It's delightful, really! I wish you all could witness it because it's rather amusing when your not his mom. It would be wonderful if I could just sneak away and pretend like I didn't hear it, but God has given me this child and the responsibility to "train him up in the way he should go." And so the crying and discipline has been frequent. So I'm exhausted and defeated with this whole parenting thing sometimes and then Christian reminds me that he is listening, he is learning and he does get it.

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Just yesterday I was sitting here at the computer when Christian came running into the room saying, "Hurry mommy, hurry. You've just got to see this. Jesus is making a beautiful sky for us. Hurry, you can't miss it. He made it for me and you. Right at our house." And I do believe he was right! I love it when Jesus makes a beautiful sky just for me!

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On Monday when Christian was throwing up and feeling awful, he kept getting horrible stomach cramps. He would moan, cry, thrash around and beg me to make them stop. There was nothing that I could do. Finally Christian cried out:

C: "Mommy, I need to go to Heaven right now."

Me: "What? You don't need to go to Heaven. You're just fine right here."

C: "But mommy, I need to see Jesus so he can make me better. "

Me: "You don't have to go to Heaven for that. Let's just pray and ask Jesus to make you better right here."

So we prayed and (I'm not even kidding) as soon as we were done his stomach cramps eased up and went away! Oh to have faith like a child!

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So for all the frustrations and weariness I sometimes feel, it's totally worth it to see his little heart learning to be more like Jesus! Proverbs 22:6 says: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. " I think the word "train" in that verse is so important because it evokes the idea that parenting is supposed to be proactive, not just reactive. That I should be looking for teachable moments to train all throughout the day and not just waiting to react to poor behavior. I've been reading the book Confident Parenting and it's so good. There is a whole chapter on parenting with GRACE that has been really valuable to me. But that's not my favorite parenting book. The best book I've read so far is Don't Make Me Count to Three. I think I've blogged about it before, but it's worth repeating. I love it because it's an easy read. You can pick it up and read a chapter and pick it up two months later and pick up where you left off. It's practical and not so theological/psychological that it loses you. So that's my parenting "chatter" for the day!

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And just for the record! Christian is my most favorite three year old in the whole world! Line 'em all up and I'd pick him every time. Temper tantrums and all!

And this is my most favorite picture of the two of us! Hard to believe he was younger than McKenna in this picture!