Remember when I read Recapturing the Joy of Motherhood? It really got my attention how much emphasis the author put on affirming her children. I knew I could grow in this area.
Bonni Greiner talks about giving at least one “wug” or word hug to each child by lunch time. I’ll tell you this. I don’t like flattery and I don’t think that empty praise has a place in parenting. I’d already found that if I was frustrated with the Blossoms and they did do something right, I found myself rewarding them through gritted teeth. Ahem.
That almost seems like a sort of grudge.
“Here’s what I expect of you. Oh, you didn’t do that. Grrrrr, I’m mad. Oh wait, you finally got it and you did what I wanted. Nope, I’m still so frustrated over all it took to get here that I can only begrudgingly offer a word of praise to you.”
Can you relate? I’ve seen this in myself and felt the Holy Spirit put His finger on it, pointing out the wrong attitude in my heart. In the last few weeks, I’ve made more of an effort to notice the good things and voice them to the girlies.
“Here’s what I expect of you. Oh, you didn’t do that. Grrrrr, I’m mad. Oh wait, you finally got it and you did what I wanted. Nope, I’m still so frustrated over all it took to get here that I can only begrudgingly offer a word of praise to you.”
Can you relate? I’ve seen this in myself and felt the Holy Spirit put His finger on it, pointing out the wrong attitude in my heart. In the last few weeks, I’ve made more of an effort to notice the good things and voice them to the girlies.
Their response caught me totally off guard. They responded to those “wugs” moreso than anything else lately. They worked harder to please, to obey.
So, I want to grow. I want to be holy as God is holy. I want to be Godly, every day. My standard isn’t actually another mom, a book, a magazine or a social media post. What I look at as acceptable behavior is what I see in the Word of God. That patience, kindness and gentleness. Yep, that’s what I want to be.
Dominique
These photos were snapped on a recent weekend with my lovely in-laws. My father-in-law drove us past this covered bridge, much to my delight. We saw these magnificent flocks of geese flying overhead when we stepped out to the parking lot after dinner. Snapshots like these bring me an everyday life kind of joy.
These photos were snapped on a recent weekend with my lovely in-laws. My father-in-law drove us past this covered bridge, much to my delight. We saw these magnificent flocks of geese flying overhead when we stepped out to the parking lot after dinner. Snapshots like these bring me an everyday life kind of joy.
