I broke down and bought a dry-erase board this week and she took great pleasure in writing the numbers as we skip counted threes and fours. In short, homeschooling today was a delight.
Chaos and unruliness reigned supreme most of the rest of the day, though. Sully has mastered the whine/complain/cry. It's the "annoy Mama to the max" trifecta. And although he's so good at it he really doesn't need the practice, practice it he did. All. Day. Long. He was in bed last night at 9 and up at 7. Why a deficit in sleep of two hours should so adversely effect a little person, I don't know, but the end result was hardly enjoyable. Fortunately, he took a nap. Unfortunately, he woke up from it doubly whiny and cranky. Daddy couldn't get home soon enough.
Admittedly, I took a lot on myself today. We just got back from vacation on Sunday, and as many of you know, getting back from vacation almost requires another vacation in and of itself because there's so much to do. There is a mountain of laundry to get through and, although I usually clean the house from top to bottom BEFORE going on vacation, it just didn't happen this time, so I was compelled to clean it today. I thought I'd be able to stop my compulsion after cleaning most of the upstairs. Not so. Dinner came and went and I would not be stopped. I had to vacuum the downstairs and mop it. It feels good to have the house so clean and tidy, but I'm always more easily irritated when I'm focused on a task and I get interrupted by one of my little charges.
The title of today's entry doesn't just allude to Sully's tyranny, it extends also to my dear, sweet Eva. Lately, whenever she's in trouble for something, has to endure the consequences of her actions, and is rightly upset about these consequences, she has the audacity to say something like, "If you would have just let me not eat my vegetables, I wouldn't be so upset!" Or, "If you would have got me a toy at the store, I wouldn't be so sad!" You get the idea. She's upset, she blames me, and now she's being vocal about it. I liked it so much better without the narrative about why I'm the one always directly responsible for her misery.
It occurred to me today that, as one of her parents, I will often be the source of her misery, even if, in reality, her behavior is the reason for it. I can remember being fiercely angry and upset with my own mother and knowing, deep down, I deserved whatever punishment was meted out. I wasn't mature enough to move through the emotion of it as a teen, I can barely expect my five year old to do it. But what I dread with a kind of a horror movie level of terror is what will come from her mouth when she is a teen!
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| At least I have a constant barrage of beautious pictures to soothe my wounded heart. This is a portrait of Ariel and King Triton. And just in case you were wondering, Ariel's wearing her "special, underwater bra." |
I am daily reminded that children are a special kind of refining fire sent to us by our dear Savior. (I partake of LARGE slices of humble pie almost hourly.) I shudder to think that I need four of these blessings (And a chronic illness, to boot!) to achieve the kind of refinement He seeks in me! Father God, give me the strength as I know only you can! I'm gonna need it.
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