Aftermath...

Back to school...AGAIN! We are probably all in different places emotionally and physically than we were just 2 weeks ago. Emotions have been running high and our kids see that and react. Some of us weathered this storm beautifully and others might have lost our cool a time or two. Just want to encourage you that most everything is fixable. If you feel as though you lost your cool and yelled at the kids or kicked the dog a time or two in the last week...it is not hopeless. We can make this a great learning experience for the kiddos. Letting our kids know that we are human and we are still growing and learning as well is important. We don't have all the answers and life figured out. We need grace and we need to show grace to them.

"Mommy got upset and yelled at you to finish your pancake this morning, because we had to leave the house"...that did just come out of my mouth yesterday. I apologized and asked if my child could forgive me. I also told her that I will work on being more patient. Modeling the behavior we want from our kids is crucial. They watch everything we do...all the time.

Anytime we show undesirable behavior around our children we need to address it. Don't act like they did not see or hear it, assume that they did and address it. We need to do this humbly. Once you start making this a usual practice you will see a change in their behavior. More behavior that you desire from them towards their siblings and friends. We can say "love your sister", "be kind to your brother", but if we do not model those traits they don't know what it LOOKS like. We need to be a good model and be humble when we miss the mark! Clean up the aftermath of our poor behavior!