Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: TEACH (11/29/18)
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TITLE: Look in the Mirror | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sarah Fehr
12/05/18 -
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It was another one of those mornings. Taking my 6 and 8-year-old to school every morning was like rolling the dice – what will be the issue de jour? Over here we have the classic fight over some inconsequential object, like a pencil. Then if you look this way, you will see the classic “I hate school” pout. In the middle is the “you’re a bad mom because you through my papers away.” And many, many more choices remain.
It only took 5 minutes to reach the drop off point, but somehow, they were able to introduce and escalate a skirmish of some sort in those few minutes. Inevitably someone would be mad or crying by the time we reached school. And truth be told, if it wasn’t the kids, it was me.
Although part of me realizes this is normal childish behavior, once in a while I can’t help but daydream about how to best get up on my soap box and preach them a good sermon. The kind where my voice is raised, my hands are waving, my head is wagging, and my finger is pointing:
“You WILL NOT get your way all the time! In fact, life is rarely fair, so get used to it! This is the stuff of life, folks! It’s not fun, but you need to learn to handle the disappointment. Accept it, move on and stop wasting time in the well of self-pity!
"When you ‘only’ receive 5 gifts on your birthday, let’s be thankful that you got any at all! When I was a kid, we only got one birthday gift. The next time you get a blue sucker instead of a pink one let’s try saying, ‘Thanks for the sucker, Mom’ and just be grateful you got one at all!
"And what’s more, treat each other with kindness EVEN WHEN YOU ARE BEING TREATED UNKINDLY! That’s the whole point of the Golden --”
Oh…
In the midst of my tirade-ical mental rehearsal, I suddenly realize something. Oh boy, the irony here is just beautiful. I feel my face heating as I realize I am a hypocrite of the first order. I think back to my sermon.
“Life is not fair!” So I need to take it in stride when my kids have gotten a stomach bug 3 times this season, and it’s not even Christmas yet.
“Handle disappointment!” When my husband forgot my birthday and I gave him the silent treatment all week.
“Accept reality and move on!” Those fantastical spiritual conversations where I pour spiritual knowledge into my kids? They don’t happen. So what steps can I take to foster the proper atmosphere in which they will occur?
“Be grateful!” Like the fact that it was only the bumper torn off my car, and nothing more serious.
“Treat each other with kindness, even when you feel slighted.” Oh yeah. I have to flip through my dozens of files to find the best non-example of this. After all, I keep all slights (toward me) catalogued and in alphabetical order. Makes them easy to find when I need a bit of kindling for my favorite resentment, see?
Dear God, forgive me for my failings and humble me. Help me to learn these lessons along with my kids! I still need your mercy; I still need your grace. Help me to teach my children with a balance of discipline and mercy, as you do with me!
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I did notice this error: "through my papers away" should be "threw".
Good work. Thank you.
I Loved the realness of your article and especially the humorous parts like: "And truth be told, if it wasn’t the kids, it was me." That made me chuckle. This would make a great devotional.
Don't forget to cherish every moment--even the tough ones. You'll miss them later.