Children are a Blessing

I just keep telling myself this! Children are a blessing....children are a blessing...over and over...say it with me....children are a blessing.....

In my heart I believe this, but a part of me is just not convinced today. I am just having a day that although I love my children, I am not liking them a whole lot today. Why is it that when things are stressful and there is a whole bunch to do, something happens to children. Normal routines that should work like clockwork disappear and they look at you and say, "Was I supposed to brush my teeth today? Oh, I shouldn't stay in my pjs?" Like this is some new chore you have just made up today. So frustrating that I have micro-manage my children as my friend calls it. "Now, put on your shirt, now button the first button, now button the next button......now get out the toothbrush, now put just a little bit of toothpaste on it." No, this is not my 22 month old I am talking to, or even my 4 year old, this is the type of things I have to say to my eight year old. On a day when I have a gazillion things on my brain and a billion things to do, my children all revert back to being helpless infants it seems. Even my normally really responsible 11 year old is slyly trying to skip chores today.

I guess the most frustrating part of their lack of discipline is that fact that I really have no one to blame but myself. It my job to train them and today proves that I haven't done my job very well at all. I pray that God gives me wisdom and strength. Wisdom to know how to discipline and guide them correctly and strength not to strangle one of them (just kidding - I really just need the strength to control the volume of my voice and not lose it and start yelling which has really been a temptation today.)