Peaceful Parenting

YELLING:

I have been working on not yelling for days!  

I made it five days the first week, 

six days the next week. 

Hopefully I can do 7 days this week.

There are a few sayings that help me with not yelling:

- This is not an emergency.

- Each day is a fresh start.

- A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a hundred moments of regret.

TIME:

"The hurry makes us hurt."

It's hard for me to remember to slow down.

It's hard for me to let them linger.

It's hard for me to linger.

But when I see other parents rushing their kids, forcing them to move faster and for no good reason, I am inspired again to try and let them be little and go at their own pace.

"Wherever you are, be all there."

  Being present helps get rid of anxiety.

It allows me to take this parenting challenge one day at a time.

And most of all, really being there is conducive to good parenting.

SELF PARENT:

"You are always responsible for how you act, 

no matter how you feel.  

Remember that."

-unknown

I must self-parent first.  Before I can teach my children to control their emotions, I first must learn to control mine.  It's not an easy task, but one that I must continually work toward.  

"These six kids lean hard into me all day to teach and raise and lead and I fail hard and there are real souls that are at stake and how long do I really have to figure out how to live full of grace, full of joy- before these six beautiful children fly the coop and my mothering days fold up quiet?"

-Ann Voskamp

{One afternoon he just tipped over and fell asleep}

UGLY BEAUTIFUL:

These days with my boys are fleeting.  They feel like forever, when they are truly only the blink of an eye.  I enjoy the challenge of finding the "ugly beautiful" in my life with them.  Hand prints on mirrors,  lego creations on the kitchen table, and matchbox cars found in the oddest of places-- my bed, the silverware drawer, the drying rack.  Those little reminders of these blessings in my life put a smile on my face and make peaceful parenting just a touch easier.

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And lastly, my new favorite:

"They will fall asleep on you after a long day

and it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip,

then set them down.

And never pick them up that way again."

When I have the presence of mind to remember these beautiful truths, reading one more story is easier.  Helping resolve a conflict between brothers is easier.  And keeping my temper in check is easier.

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