Mama Mondays

Mama Mondays

How long did it take for the back-to-school adrenalin to wear off in your home? It took until day three for us. On the morning of this fateful day, I went to wake each child for school with a back rub, kiss on the cheek and a cheery "good morning". As I planted a smooch on my youngest, I was met with a sound that was a cross between a growl and a dying animal. I moved onto the next child. Same thing. 

Unfortunately the morning didn't get any better. Once the dying, growling animals moved from their warm beds they went into attack mode. Can you say MELTDOWN?! My one child's voice hit decibels not meant for human ears. Another child shoved the loud sibling into the wall. The third child whined incomprehensible words. 

It's moments like these that make any well-intentioned mama lose what little mind she may have left. I took a deep breath and said a quick prayer. The Holy Spirit brought to mind this Bible verse:

"For we are each responsible for our own conduct" (Galatians 6:5, NLT). 

I calmly but firmly told each of my children to look at me and shared with them this verse, not in a way that sounded preachy, but in a way that taught them a principle for everyday life. I reminded them that they each have control over their own conduct. They get to decide what kind of morning we're going to have by the words they choose to speak and the way they choose to treat one another. We talked about how it would feel if we parted ways for the day feeling mad, grumpy and sad. After the mandatory eye rolls and "We know, Mom!", I'm so thankful to say that each child embraced my challenge to be responsible for his/her conduct! The last half hour was peaceful and happy. Praise God for His Word. It really is our handbook for life.

Happy Monday, Moms! Go be awesome today!