Day 8

What I did:

I spent yesterday with my daughter and grandson. I did bring the baby to church with me and Shelli came over afterward. We met at Burger King and got things on the dollar menu. I didn't exercise (on purpose). Shelli and I spent the afternoon watching TV and even splurged on eating some ice cream. I did the bare minimum on the house - washed dishes and completed a load of laundry. All in all - not a productive day by any stretch of the imagination. Actually, I "beat myself up" all day long for not getting anything done. The worse I felt, the less I did. Because the kids were playing, the house looked like a construction zone.

As my four year old brought out all her toys, I told her she needed to put it all away before bed. She fooled around and really didn't listen much when I told her it was time to clean up. I finally "cracked down" on her and told her that I would remove whatever toys she left out to donate to others. It seems harsh, but what would happen if I actually did what I said I would do? She would learn a valuable lesson - take care of your toys unless you want to lose them. There wouldn't have to be any argument or cajoling. She would then motivate herself to care for her toys in the future. It is not only a great lesson, it is a great way of helping her create her own good habits in the future.

I didn't have to follow through with my "deal" because she did pick up her things. I don't often take her to task, and I realize I should while she is young. Being a 43 year old mother of a preschooler has given me a much more relaxed perspective on parenting. I don't sweat the small stuff like I did when my adult children were young, and I enjoy being a mother so much more because of it. The risk I face in my laid back attitude is that the important things can easily slip through the cracks as I sit back and enjoy the ride. While I am happy that my daughter sees a joy in me that comes just from being her mother, I also don't want her to miss the learning opportunities that she can benefit from when I say what I mean and mean what I say.

What I learned:

I learned that there is always tomorrow to get things done - but that knowledge comes with a price. I now have to spend more time today getting organized again, and digging myself out of yesterday's mess. I also learned that doing the right thing is hard - very hard. The Apostle Paul said, "I don't do what I want to do (or know to be right), and I do what I don't want to do (or know to be wrong)" (paraphrased). It's an age old problem dating back thousands of years.

I just want to do the very best I can, and I know I will fail - but I also know I will succeed, too, if I keep on wanting and trying to do the right thing. The key for me is not allowing the failures to devastate me, while at the same time, not allowing the successes to make me complacent.

Until Tomorrow~~~Elizabeth