Whine and Wine

When my kid whines and he often does, at my age a glass of wine occasionally is necessary for me to unwind as some may say, after a long day. After a weeks vacation with as many as 8 kids in and out at one time there was a lot of relax time deserved. Pulling different kids who are customary to their own environment to an environment of a little house in the woods where it tended to rain a lot and they seemed to need constant entertainment- for 11 days. There was a lot of arguing, unfairness and whining that was had. But a lot of fun, excitement, happy moments were also experienced. I say kids will be kids! No matter how hard we instill in them to be selfless, grateful and good... no matter how much we pray or hope that our children will be excellent role model kids... they just sometimes aren't. Sometimes I feel as a mom that I really needed to get that instruction booklet from the beginning, you know the one that tells you how to handle every single situation you encounter with your kid... what to expect, how to react and what to say and do to make them a better child... oh wait, I forgot... you don't get one. This is a test, this is only a test... if you pass you will go down in the record books as Mom of the Year... if not you are doomed. Right? Sometimes this is how I feel. How do I know I am making the right decision, reacting in such a way as to be the authority figure, influencing my child to be the best they can be, disciplining where I should appropriately and choosing my battles wisely... Guess what I don't, none of us do. It is all based on experience, the personality of our children and what works and doesn't work for them and us. We are yes in control of our own emotions and how we chose to react to a situation, but we are all human, every one makes mistakes, things can happen and forgiveness is key. I firmly believe our roll as a parent is to develop and lead are children into a promising future as adults who are capable of living in a society that is ever changing. Kids will be kids, kids will whine, kids will feel something isn't fair, kids will lash out, talk back and test the waters. Our goal is to help them learn from situations... as I said to be an adaptable, loving, caring adult... not to be the perfect child. Today, I pray that I will focus on making my child learn from his experiences, how to mold himself into a proper, loving, caring, considerate, selfless adult who can contribute his talents to the world going forward and serve God and His people with gentleness, love and forgiveness in all situations, to see the bigger picture and find the positive in all circumstances. Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.