And then comes the dreaded words, starting around mid-July. "Mom, I'm BOOORRREEEDDD!!". The three words every parent cringes at the very thought of, let alone said out loud.
This year, though, I was going to combat those annoying little words. Rebecca, at 7, is finally old enough to do some fun learning experiences with, so with some help, I decided to have them take a trip around the world. Each week, we would "visit" a different area of the world. Learn about their culture, sample some of the food, and make a fun little craft. Good idea, right?
The first 2 weeks were great. We first learned about our own country, and then went on to France. They had their cute little passports that I would stamp each week, and we were having lots of fun with it. And then it got harder. And harder. And harder. Between sick children, and other distractions, I was having a rough time finding time to research what I needed for each country, in addition to all my other responsibilities that never go away. The children were getting frustrated with me because I wasn't finding the time for them that I had so often promised. Finally, after a couple of weeks, the dreaded words came back to haunt me. "I'm BOORREEDD!", just as one screamed at the other for "looking at him".From then on, the fighting began. The more bored the kids got, the more they fought. The kid's friends around the neighborhood decided to all go on vacation at the same time, as well, so there was no one to play with. We were still managing to do some fun things, but I was getting more and more tired, and more and more frustrated with the kids. "Go play outside. Draw. Write in your journal. Play with a toy." Let's just say that the response I got from Rebecca and Ryan was not, "Okay, Mom! That sounds great!". The frustration level was growing, for each one of us. "Will school ever start?", I began to wonder. Fighting between the kids were more frequent, and I think my voice was getting hoarse from yelling at them to stop. Finally, I started asking the question I should have asked in the beginning, and going to the right source for the answers. In prayer.
As I prayed for guidance, which I still am trying to do, I discovered that I am trying too hard to make their will bend to mine, instead of the other way around. I am realizing that my expectations of each child need to change. These two children are very similar, and very different in so many ways. And, I believe that the Lord is trying to help me see that I need to recognize their differences, and not try so hard to shape them into what I think they should be. They are individuals, and I need to see them that way, spending some time doing what each one wants to do, not doing what I want them to do. Why is this so hard to do?
So, back to the drawing board, I go. I know I had a good idea in the beginning, but instead of me running with it, I can see that I need to go to the Lord with some plans for each child, ask for help, strength, and guidance, and then run with it. I have 3 weeks left before school starts. Can I do it? "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."
