So, the night while I was blogging about
our experience with the couple in Key West I was also having a challenging night from a parenting perspective. Since then, I have begun to think more about the situation. I started picturing what that man who yelled at his wife must have been thinking. He may have been scared they would lose each other in the crowd. He probably felt out of control of the situation. He may have been frustrated because she asked him stick with her, so she didn't get lost and he wasn't doing a good job of it - he was shirking his responsibility. He may even have been scared she would get hit by one of Key West's Tourist Trolleys....Who knows? As I think of the times when I "Lose It." The pattern seems quite similar:
I am scared my kids are going to end up in a situation where they may get hurt. I feel like we've shifted from control to authority and I wonder if it's been a successful transition. I feel out of control. I feel responsible. I feel an overall frustration.
Regardless, I still don't want to be the raving lunatic & even if I wanted to be that...its effectiveness is nil. So, what's a mom to do? I guess I have to begin by knowing that frustrating situations are a part of parenting (no big revelation there). My girls are a gift from God. My girls are becoming who God has created them to be - just as he is creating me to be who he created me to be. And just as it is my role to help 'adjust' their behavior, it is also my role to allow God to adjust mine. So I continue on.
I try to get my own personal feelings out of the way as much as I can to allow myself to hear God's words for my girls and act on it. I also partner together with other parents who can help me see how awesome my kids are. We all need people to help lift our eyes out of the immediate situation and see the bigger picture - whether it's parenting, work, life, marriage, ______________...
I pray all of us would find those "Eye Raising" friendships.
