This Monday morning, I'm asking for your prayers for patience with the kids and a reminder of the significance of this vocation. I need to stop yelling. I need to go across the room, get down on the kids' level, and make eye contact when I'm making requests. I need to enlist them to help more--both because they like to help and because they need to learn these skills as they go. I need to remain patient as they learn their new skills. I need to remember that they are acting appropriate for their age. When they are not acting appropriate for their age, I need to discipline effectively. I need to intervene ASAP and be consistent. I need to help them work through their emotions. I need to take deep breaths before I discipline or swoop in when they're needing an intervention. I need to have more "time-ins" of quality time than "time-outs." I need to remember that they are my vocation and not an obstacle to accomplishing it.
In trying to do all of this, I appreciate your prayers, but I need one more favor: Can you please let me pray for you? Can you please share your intentions with me? In my last post, I wrote about how I'm keeping a journal full of intentions. When I'm tempted to do all of the things I'm trying to avoid (yelling, nagging, going it alone with the chores, etc.), I want to have a list of prayer intentions to turn to. As I go about my day, knowing that I have a mission to unite whatever little things I'm struggling with to the cross for the sake of your prayer intentions will give me the drive and motivation to:
- be a better mama
- put suffering (big and small) to work for good
Please pray for my marriage and for my wishes to one day be able to stay home with my little boy. I will be praying for you also, as I need help in the mothering department daily too :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for such an inspiring post! I've been struggling with a similar issue trying to be patient with my 3 year old who's unfortunately picked up my bad example of yelling :/ I hope to adopt your approach of offering up prayer intentions in the midst of life's daily parenting struggles. Please pray for my patience, too and also for a family member who is hoping to adopt.
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