Transparent Tuesday

Oh my! Today's transparent topic is a doozy. How's this for a topic?...Parenting. Is. Hard.
In fact, there's no doubt in my mind that it's the most difficult job I've ever had! Can I get an Amen?!

I'm pretty sure this image is exactly what one of my children (who shall remain nameless) did all day yesterday...

I promise there was a tornado behind that child which left a path of destruction following everything he or she touched. And did I mention that his or her arms must have been broken because the act of cleaning up after his or herself was completely unthinkable?!

And since when did pinching the fire out of someone become a perfectly acceptable way to punish your sibling for incessantly tapping you on the head? You have words, child, use them! Did you really not think your sibling wouldn't squeal like a pig when you inflicted your form of conflict resolution and land you in even more trouble than you were already in?

And, oh yeah, did I mention this perfectly adorable child of mine had the nerve to come out of the room he or she was banished to for the evening and ask if we'd save him or her some Oreo pudding?! Wow...guess I've done an excellent job of teaching my kids to be assertive and ask for what want, but somewhere along the line I certainly failed at teaching good judgement.

Whew, glad I got that off my chest.

Anyone else in need of parenting prayers today? Leave me a comment or send me an email with any requests: dfrieling1@gmail.com. 

Transparent Tuesday

Being a mom is hard.

Here's what I've dealt with this week and remember, it's only Tuesday!

"I'm not wearing a skirt or a dress to church on Easter!"
"I don't like going shopping because you always end up yelling at me!"
"I just wish my thighs and tummy looked like the other girls."
"I want to be popular but I've noticed the popular girls are mean to my friends. Sometimes that scares me."

Sometimes the pressure of being a parent is overwhelming. We make decisions for our children every day that could potentially impact the rest of their lives. No pressure there, right?  And, have you realized that the baggage we carry around in our own hearts often seeps into our relationships with our kids? How convicting is that?

(Disclaimer: this picture has nothing to do with this post. It's simply the eye candy needed during a heavy post!)

As you can clearly see from my daughter's words above, I'm not the perfect mom. But you know what? I try hard and I always have their best interest in mind. That's all I can expect of myself.

Two things I do with my kids that make a difference.
1) I pray with them. They hear me talk to God and I allow them to hear me ask God to forgive me for "yelling" at them. They also listen to me praise Him for making them so amazingly beautiful inside and out. I love listening to their prayers too. Boy, they can blow me away sometimes!

2) I talk to them in the dark. Honestly, I think I'll put my kids to bed as long as they'll let me. There's just something about laying side by side, in the dark, that opens up their little mouths and brings forth the truth of their hearts.

So, friends, let's say an extra little prayer for our mom friends today. If you have something that's been heavy on your heart and you'd like to 'talk' about it more, leave me a comment or send me an email: dfrieling1@gmail.com.