Time Out

We've been taking a lot of those around here.  Time outs, room time, rest time, charts of pluses and minuses, rewards and punishments.  It seems our house has become a horrible episode of Supernanny without much of the super (or the nanny which might make all of this much easier).

I write this post for two reasons.  One, I would like (hope) to in a year from now look back and chuckle at these tough days as I sip my iced tea on the porch and watch my daughter come inside when I ask her to the first time and not speak to me as if the age of thirteen came ten years early.  And two, I want to grow in the area of time outs myself--taking time out of this chaotic life of mine to gain some perspective, remember why I love my children and love(d) being a mom, and to simply breathe in a little quiet.

I naively thought that consistency in the area of discipline would be enough to raise a perfectly well behaved child.  And to be fair, Ava is very well behaved when we are outside the home.  But inside, she has figured out that I can't make her do much of anything anymore and in the name of independence and stubbornness she will forfeit rewards and welcome punishment (until it is actually upon her) in order to exercise her right to disobey and disrespect and demand.

Thankfully, I was once a horribly stubborn child myself and I know it gets better.  Ha!  Unfortunately I know it will also take some time and a whole lot more patience than I have within me naturally.  I may not have a supernanny in my home but I have a supernatural power within me that is Christ, thankfully feeding me more grace than I deserve and reminding me to offer it to my kids too.

I will admit my three-year-old has made me cry, I've made her cry, and I've sat next to the running dishwasher while both kids screamed in their rooms just to get a break.  This, I've decided, is what it's like to have young children.  It's a lot less blissful than I imagined and I've also realized it's okay not to like my job every day.  But, I can take a time out, and remember that God has called me to this super-work and has promised to give me the tools to grow my children faithfully.  I can remember the sweet moments during the day, the snuggling before bedtime, the pride I have when watching Ava play so well with other kids or when Grayson gets himself to sleep.  I can also choose to take a breath, remember that this won't last forever, and enjoy as much of it as possible.