Monday Musings - Parenting is...

Finding time to laugh...at, I mean with each other.

On any given day parenting changes its look. Sometimes its laughter, on occasion it may even include crying. It’s not above me to cry over spilled milk, broken glass, or my child’s bad grade on a spelling test. Nor is it above me to laugh out loud like a hyena at a funny situation.

 You put the good times with the bad and parenting is….

Watching your kids sleep peacefully as you wonder, how before their next tirade.

• Enjoying the laughter AND the quiet moments.
• Not sweating the small stuff.
• Taking time to play together.
• Knowing that things don’t always go as planned, and that’s ok.
• Unconditional love.
• Learning to laugh at yourself.

When you feel like you’re working overtime at parenting, it’s time to take a lunch break (figuratively speaking). Take a few deep breaths, go into a Downward Dog Yoga pose, or whatever it takes to feel relaxed. Read something funny.
 
If you heard that a good hearty laugh burns belly fat, would you laugh more? An article titled, Laughing can help you loose weight, said that scientists believe laughter gives the body a “mini aerobic” workout (www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4221778/Laughing-can-help-you-lose-weight.htm). Lose weight?, that’s all I needed to hear. I started laughing right away.

 Find a reason each day to laugh at something. Below are a few quotes about parenting to get you started:

 

• “You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they’re going.” – A.J. O’Rourke
• “When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they’re finished I climb out.” – Erma Bombeck
• “Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home.” – Bill Cosby
• “A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it.” – Jerry Seinfeld

What is parenting to you? Leave a funny quote for someone else to enjoy.

Words of Inspiration

Heaven's Grocery Store

I was walking down life's highway a long time ago.
One day I saw a sign that read 'Heaven's Grocery Store'.
I got a little closer, the door came open wide.
When I came to myself, I was standing just inside.
I saw a host of angels. They were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said, 'My child, please shop with care'.
Everything a Christian needed was in that Grocery Store.
All you couldn't carry, you could come back the next day for.
First, I got some PATIENCE; LOVE was in the very same row.
Further down was UNDERSTANDING, you needed it wherever you go.
I got a box or two of WISDOM, a bag or two of FAITH.
I just couldn't miss the HOLY SPIRIT, for He was all over the place! !
I stopped to get some STRENGTH and COURAGE to help me run thi
By then my basket was getting full but...I remembered I needed some
GRACE!
I didn't forget SALVATION, for SALVATION was free.
So I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me.
Then I started up to the counter to pay my grocery bill,
for I thought I had everything to do my Master's will.
As I wind up the aisle I saw PRAYER and I just had to put that in.
For I knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin.
PEACE and JOY were plentiful; they were on the last shelf.
SONGS and PRAISES were hanging near, so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the angel, 'How much do I owe? '
He just smiled and said, 'Just take them everywhere you go.
'Again I smiled at him and said, 'How much do I owe? '
He smiled again and said......'
My child, JESUS PAID YOUR BILL A LONG TIME AGO! '
Author unknown

Kickin’ & Screaming

Clothes and clutter and mess, oh my!

I recently read an article in Parents magazine that talked about discipline without screaming. It reminded me of chaotic days in my house. Have you experienced this scenario…kids staying up late watching T.V. on a school night, whining, “Just 5 more minutes?” Or you have said too many times, “Clean your room, finish your homework, get your things ready for tomorrow.”

I repeat myself so many times that I get tired of hearing my own voice. I start out sounding like Dr. Seuss. “Get this room clean, get it done now. I don’t care with what, I don’t care how.” Then I turn into Dr. Jekyll as I growl, “Get it done now!”

My son out smarted me on one occasion when it came to cleaning his room. He relocated everything…to the hallway outside of his room. His rationale was, “I have to take everything out of the room so I can organize it.”

By the time my son finally accomplishes his task, I feel like I need to call Dr. Phil. The kickin’ and screaming begins, all the way to the bedroom. This time it’s me. I grab a pillow and scream into it. I have realized that a lot of challenging situations with my kids are power struggles.

In the Parents magazine article, it states that, “the power struggle is a contest about who has the upper hand at the moment (May 2012 issue).” We want to prove to our kids that we are the one in charge. The ‘no-scream’ solution is to get ourselves out of the fight mode. The idea is to work together with the child to find a solution, rather than focusing on winning or loosing the battle.

In the situation of getting a child to clean his room, setting boundaries may help. For instance give him a time limit to have everything done and state the consequences of non-compliance. You will notice I said in the situation of getting ‘a child’ and not ‘my child’ to clean his room. My child does not fit the norm, he is an outside the box thinker.

You have to determine what will work best with the personality of your child and adept the advice you receive. Sprinkle it with prayer and keep the faith. Kickin’ and screaming is tiring and it doesn’t really resolve anything.

What situations have caused you to want to pull your hair out when it comes to having to discipline your child?