I Am That Mom...

As I sit on the couch and type, my daughter has pushed an Eames chair against the window so she can stand and pound on the glass, 'happy-yelling' at the pedestrians walking past our house.  I'm not stopping her.  This is a sweet moment.  


Yesterday, I took a nap.  And it was gooood.  Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "Please don't tell me she is devoting an entire post to her nap."  No.  I wouldn't do that to you.


But, I will tell you why that nap was so needed.  It has been one of those weeks.  You know?  It's been a week full of fussing and fighting, and whining and tantruming and stomping and back-talking and door slamming.  And while the behavior in our household has been colorful...it hasn't been pretty.  If there was a blue light special on time-outs, then the Jackson's stocked up.


This whole week, I've felt like such an ineffective mom,  and was at my wits end.  So, yesterday, I decided that distraction was in order.  What better distraction than a sweet story time including a blanket on the floor and a few chapters of 'Alice in Wonderland.'  I sat on the blanket, with a little Jackson on either side of me, and began reading aloud, while inwardly congratulating myself on an effective plan.  Somewhere between chasing the rabbit, and Alice's fall down the hole, things fell apart.  I was in the crossfires, defending myself from their sudden blows towards another.  I'm not quite sure where the breakdown occurred, but, I began yelling: 

"Stop.touching.your.brother! Don't.hit.your.sister. You.both.stop.spitting!  Get.your feet.out.of.each other's.face! Everyone. is.getting.a.timeout.NOW!'

They both stopped and stared as I teared up and broke down in front of them.  Not only did I lose my cool, but there I sat sobbing.  I'm pretty sure that in most parenting books I've read, yelling is not advocated.  And I'm almost positive that if I pulled my favorite parenting book from the shelf, my week would be the prime example of the parent who had lost all control, and was in desperate need of following the author's program toward family revival.

I am that mom!  Ugh!

So, while my kiddos were in bed, sleeping off the events of the day, I flung myself across my bed feeling defeated, beating myself up...and of course I had a good cry.  It was ugly and lamentful.  After regaining my composure, I spent some time in prayer and read my Bible, then decided to read my all-time favorite blog.


You may have already heard of Angie Smith.  Her writing is full of godly wisdom and tenderness, joy and humor.  I love it.  


After reading a bit, I stumbled across one of her older posts titled, 'Seven Prayers A Day.'  In her post, she shared seven verses that coincide with seven daily events to help remind her to pray for her girls.  While going about the day, she prays each verse aloud, personalizing it for her children.


It struck me that while I earnestly pray for my children, I don't often pray scripture over them.  What better way to pray for them than with the guidance of specific scripture?


I quickly jotted down the seven passages onto note cards and added an eighth verse I stumbled upon that seemed fitting for our circumstances:


"How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers *and sisters* live together in harmony!"
Psalm 133:1


God has a sense of humor.


So, armed with my scripture cards, today is a new day. I look forward to the fresh start (and the forgiveness my children give freely despite my mistakes)   and can't wait to begin praying scripture liberally over my children.  
I don't want to store up the expectation that my little ones will not make mistakes, but I do want to be armed with the truth of God's word as I parent them today, and be full of grace and mercy toward them just as our Heavenly Father so graciously extends His grace toward me.


Have you had an 'Aha!' moment and discovered something that just works for your family?  I would love for you to share!