BREAKING EVEN YET FEELING LIKE I LOST...

After having written for A Martha Heart, I decided I needed to walk the talk Monday when it came time to clean the house. We did the obligatory day off from school lounging until mid-morning, then mama went and lost her mind with a list. I gave the boys two chores they were both responsible for and then four individual chores. Wrote them down on paper, showed it to them, enacted the "no TV till its done" rule, and then I did the most amazing thing.
I walked away.
No micromanaging.
No yelling.
Nothing.
Did they hop right to it? No.
Did it all get done in a timely manner? Yes.
Too many times I don't let them learn what & how to do. I get so caught up in IT HAS TO BE DONE that I loose the opportunity for them to struggle and strengthen their wings. Wings they will need when they leave me.
You what to know what else happened? They didn't fight. They helped each other with the individual chores and worked well on their collective chores.
It was a parenting triumph, small as it was.
How did I follow that?
With a parent fail.
After cleaning, I needed to go buy groceries so we headed to our local superstore. MC 2 pushed all the right buttons and I said all the wrong things. Right in the middle of the aisle. My saving grace was having it together enough to not yell what I said right then and there. It was one of those moments when you, okay maybe not you but me, just really need to walk away from the child. We needed to go to our corners, but there were no corners to go to.
Parenting defeat.

I don't know about you, but for me, even though the triumphant moments are great when they happen, they tend to be short lived. The failures tend to linger. Some days that just flat out pitch a tent and camp awhile in my brain.
I did apologize to MC 2 for not being nice. Explained that even though HE was not being nice I was not excused from being nice.

If you are a parent, kid, spouse, or friend who was blown it, let this little post let you know you're not alone. This chick feels ya. I have blown it in all those areas. I am here to tell you forgiveness and restoration can be found. I forgave MC 2 and he forgave me. More importantly, I can take all that sin, guilt, and shame before God's throne, and He too, is eager to forgive.
That is how we win. 
It's our choice.
Let us choose Him.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.