I posted last week about my oldest, Jake, and his new found Tweendom. He has been pushing his limits lately with a lot of talking back and too much arguing for his own good. It has been a really rough week, but I am hopeful that he is starting to see the light and that soon we can get back on better terms.

I took some time this weekend to spend one on one with Jake. I felt like we really needed it after constant time outs, too much yelling and a general depressing mood around the house. We were in a funk and I wanted to get out of it as quickly as I could. After a couple of hours together with pleasant conversation I feel re-energized and like we may have turned a page….maybe.

I am not naive…I know that Jake is only 7 and this is all part of growing up. I also know that this past week was no fun and I would prefer if we did not string together that many days in a row again of discipline problems. My game plan is

• Give him a warning each time he starts to talk back….a “why don’ t you try that again” moment
• If he persists, he is disciplined with a time out or something taken away..I don’t ever want to let it slide
• Catch him being good…if he stops himself from being argumentative I need to recognize that..it is so important that they are cat being good sometimes
• Spend one on one time with him each day..even if only 10 minutes
• Do all I can to explain things to him and remind him how much I love him

We’ll see how my plan works To Be Continued……

I have this friend named Summer who lives her life by the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  The minute you walk in a room with a baby on one hip, a bag on the other and a whiney toddler…….she JUMPS to your rescue.  She has the baby giggling, the toddler comfortable and the bag neatly placed in the corner.  She is like ‘Superwoman’ this way.  Before you know it, she is wiping up spilled chocolate milk, folding your laundry AND reading your child a book.  God gave this friend of mine a special gift and she is so good at it. 

I think her actions are such a good example as to how I should be.  Each mother struggles to ‘get it all done’ every day.  When someone jumps in to teach your child the ABC’s or  read  books to them, it is the best help someone can give!   No mother likes to be told what to do, or how to be a parent, but these small and simple actions truly ‘lighten the load.’  These sweet children we are raising, are the future mothers, fathers, teachers and leaders in our country.

I don’t know what I would do without my family HELPING me to raise these kids!  I still remember the nap my big sister let me have while she rocked my baby and the countless acts of love my family has shown to my children. 

Families are not the only people who can help with these children!  As a mother, I have some women in my life that I look to as strong examples.   I watch them closely and see  how they teach and discipline and learn from them.

My hands are pretty full right now, but you betcha that one day when I am not chasing babies, I will be helping an overwhelmed mom at the grocery store and helping in any way I can (much like my friend Summer) to help lighten the load of mothers!!

I am lucky enough to be a mother to both boys and girls.  I grew up in a family of three girls and was I ever shocked when I got married!  Boys are quite different then girls. 

My son, Lincoln is about as boy as they come .  As long as it involves running, jumping, a ball or a game controller he is happy!!  Boy’s don’t sit at the table and play princesses or spend hours working on crafts.  If I set my boy and girl down to do a craft, he is always done in record time and she will sit there happily for hours and hours.

I love when we have a house full of boys.  They usually run straight to the backyard and wrestle on the trampoline for hours.  They come in when they are dripping in sweat and need a drink so they can get back to their trampoline wrestling match.  They groan when a Disney movie is too ‘princessy’ and cheer when there is a sword fight !  Boy’s are delightful in a totally different way then girls.

Being a mother to a boy, I feel a great responsibility to teach him certain things.  I have had the conversation over and over again about not burping at the table, letting girls go first,  not running in the house with muddy shoes and treating adults with respect.  I feel it is my responsibility to teach him manners, etiquette, hard work and kindness.  As mothers, we are quite lucky to be the one’s to teach them right from wrong and how to work hard to achieve their goals. 

Right now they are stinky little boys…..but before we know it, they will be confidently giving speeches, going on dates and being leaders in their communities.  Aren’t WE lucky to be the ladies who teach them all they need to know to succeed in life? Aren’t WE lucky to be mothers to these sweet, stinky little boys?

What are your thoughts on being a mother to a boy or boys?