I ask that and I'm not talking about sausage....I'm talking about the whiny, disrespectful, false sense of entitlement....yucky kind of behavior. The kind opposite of the sweetness in the above picture(Goodness I really miss those days!). I rarely take pictures of the yucky stuff!
My ladies bible class has been talking about values, just last week the subject was "Our Obligation of Transparency". The premise is that , as Christians, we have an obligation of transparency toward one another. It's a tough thing. Although perhaps not so tough.
If there is a family who has a child that never has a bratty moment? Well, I have one or three of those too....but, if you live in the real world and have a nice niche of personality in your home? You likely are not surprised that I can say with GREAT transparency "My children are not perfect (rofl...DUH) and it would be evident to anyone who listened to them for more than 24 hours(my kids can honeymoon fairly well)."
I rarely talk about the child who turned up their nose at a free meal because they were mad (mad that they did not do their chores and did not get to choose). Or my child who was disrespectful to the very brother who sat at their game for 3 hours! Or the child who talks back and refuses to do ANYTHING (my goodness, who am I to ask anything of that child?). Or the child who mutters under their breath about mom. Or the children who doesn't mutter, but yells. Or....well, you probably get the point. I live in a realistic Pollyanna world. I would like my blog to be positive:) But I do not always blog positives...life isn't always nice! I hope when you read here that my blog is a transparent view of MY thoughts, of MY hope and MY dreams for my family. But, I sometime spare the guilty. Sometimes, when the issue is BIG(meaning the whole world knows), I don't.
But, that said, we (Christians, people as a whole) do not present transparency without trust. My bible class, I sincerely believe, has that trust in one another. Our faith and belief is rooted in a higher moral standard to which we all willingly submit...aka ....GOD. My blog? Well, I can share the joy and I can even share the bratty, but it will never be as transparent. So for all you people who read and think "Amanda has it all together?" ....well, you would be wrong. My blog might be well maintained, but reality is a bit crazier:)
I certainly thought it sounds like you have it all together. It is not the first time I have been wrong, though :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this!! I know things can get CRAZY... but I have to admit... I thought and STILL think that you have it all together!! Your right, Life isn't always nice or positive... Believe it or not, I enjoy reading posts like this... even though they aren't positive!! It should help to keep us all grounded and it sure makes me think about what I have to look forward to in the years to come!! :) Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty--it truly is refreshing.
ReplyDeleteFrom a mama with a tribe of children that too, can be a bit crazy.
Thanks for the comments.... I likely come to my blog with it "together" becuase I'm old:) Old in my parenting. I have been around a long time, I have parented to adulthood and I have parented so many persoanlities that there's a pretty good chance I have been there and done that when my children have behavior issues. I stick to the tried and true, but am never afraid to step out of the box and try a new "take". Whatever works really is serious with so many persoanlities:) The whatever applying to consequences. Some find it fun to wash dishes and some would rather die...our children are each so unique!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say....I am in the trenches just like everyone else!
Yes, I am learning the creativity of discipline. For some the rod works best and yet for others to miss a meal is worse than 100 "rods."
ReplyDeleteAlways seeking wisdom from on High.
Love from the North,
Summer
Thank you for posting this Amanda. I think we all need a reminder every once in awhile that we're all in the same (some days "sinking" lol) boat.
ReplyDeleteI look back at pictures of my kids when they were little and sweet and I get choked up - I miss their sweet, loving hearts. I miss the innocence and the simpleness of our life (albeit very busy life) then. It's just as busy now, but with much, much more negative things. I try to focus on the good stuff, but as I know you know, the negative will just engulf you if you allow it to - sometimes it just sneaks up on you....