Tyler and I have not seen eye to eye in a number of days. He is in a screaming fit upstairs, slamming doors, throwing things, and experimenting with his irate self.
I'm longing for my parenting partner, the one to whom I could pass the baton, share the conversations, discuss the consequences, and find a reminder that I'm officially an adult, even when I'm surrounded by such harrowing nonsense.
Discipline is more lonely than the absence of date nights.
Tucker leans over to me on the couch. He whispers, "Mommy, do you always win?"
In battles like this one, yes. I have to.
That is the exact piece of advice that a very wise pastor's wife always gave to us "young moms" in her church family: "You must always win, no matter how large or small the battle." I used to think that my hefty stubborn streak was a liability, now I know it was something God blessed me with because He knew I would have 4 children 😉 Even though it feels like you are in the battle alone, you are supported by the prayers of many- I will be praying for you and Tyler today.
In the fantasy of parenthood dreaming, this nightmare never occurs. We must suppress the memories of our inner child when we consider parenthood or we wouldn't have a population crisis on the planet!
Thank you for the consistency you provide your boys, the space you allow them to explore their feelings and emerging selves, the surety of "Yes, I always win" even when you don't feel like you do, the demonstration of your faith as you draw on God whose strength ALWAYS is victorious.