STOP!!!!

Tonight I was trying to cook dinner while all 3 kids were running around the place. I put Titus on a blanket in the living room to play on his tummy with soft music and I told Noah, "Do not pick Titus up by his stomach" I was outside grilling and walking in and out of the kitchen. Everything seemed fine. Nobody was crying and there was a lot of laughter going on in the living room with the kids. "I finally have it together". I was so proud of myself. Look at me, I thought, cooking while all my kids quietly play together in the living room. I must be doing something right. As my ego was getting bigger and bigger I walked in the living room to compliment my kids model behavior... To my HORROR Noah was tolding Titus by his ankles bouncing his head on the ground over and over again. To see a 3 year old holding your 5 month old baby by the ankles like a pro wrestler was HORRIBLE. "NOAH" I screamed as I rushed to get Titus. "GO sit on your bed" As I held Titus and lay him on the bed to make sure his neck was okay, I realized he was laughing... squealing with delight. His look said to me "Mom, why did you stop the fun. Noah and I were wrestling..." As I frantically got joe from outside, I told him he had to deal with HIS son. I went to my bedroom, I had to be alone. 5 minutes earlier I was patting myself on the back in the kitchen for my parenting skills. Now I am on my bed crying and TICKED. I was SO angry at Noah. What was he thinking!

During the kids nap that day (a few hours earlier), I was reading a book about forgiving your children when they mess up. I kindof skimmed the pages of the chapter. "I don't struggle with forgiving my kids" I thought. So now here I am, a few hours later, wishing I hadn't read that chapter. I wanted to stay angry at Noah. He could have really hurt Titus all because he didn't listen to me!! As I sat on my bed after the incident, I realized that chapter was just what I needed for THIS moment. I could hear Joe disciplining Noah in the other room. Joe spanked Noah and spoke to him about the danger of hanging Titus by the toes. I still wanted to go in there and let him know what a horrible thing it was that he had done, but I knew that I needed to just drop it. To put it in biblical terms, I wanted to be a quarrelsome NAG!! As I sat on my bed and asked the Lord to help me drop the matter, Noah popped his head in my room and ran to me with his arms out. "Mommy, I'm sorry. will you forgive me?" "Of course honey, I forgive you".... Wow, did I just say that? thank you Lord! My flesh wanted to let Noah have it but your Spirit's working spit words of forgiveness off my tongue before my heart even had time to catch up. We prayed together on the bed and God helped me get over it alot faster than I would have on my own. Needless to say, I totally burned the chicken on the grill that day and Noah and Titus are done having blanket time together.....for a few days anyways :)