What a thought. What a liberating thought!
If we go through our mothering days with the false expectation that it is our children’s job to make us happy (whether by their compliance, their achievements, or their agreeable personalities…) we will be PASSIONATELY disappointed – both with them and with our lives. However, if we wake up each new day with the expectation that God is more concerned with the process of making us Holy rather than happy, then we are on our way towards compassionate parenting, rather than parenting with passion.
Our kids are going to have a hard time, some time, here in the next few hours (or minutes.) Let’s remember that we’re not victims, we’re moms. The more we say it and believe it, the more compassion we will have to gently walk them through their childhood today.
Amen? Amen.
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For more on this topic, check out Triggers: Exchanging Parent’s Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses . If you struggle with anger in your home from the sheer effort of it all, if you find yourself yelling at your children and struggling with shame, I encourage you to order a copy of Triggers, by Wendy Speake and Amber Lia, published by BRU Publications.
