Lazy Parenting is an Oxymoron

Is anger just a cover-up for other, unidentified emotions?  How do I see what's really behind the yell, the whine, the book slammed on the table?


Could it be that  "I hate learning Spanish" really means "I'm used to being able to say whatever I need to, and to being able to answer hard questions and meet new people, and I know I'm not going to be able to do that when we move. I'm afraid of sounding silly (or of being lonely or of embarrassment...).  So Instead I'm going to fight you about learning this new language so I don't have to think about all the changes that are coming."


I have so much to learn.


A while back I read a book by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.  Boundaries with Kids opened my eyes to a lot of things I needed to see about how I guide my children with love and limits.  Recently I picked it up again and now I realize how much I STILL need to learn.  Helping children express themselves in a safe, healthy way that respects those around them is a big job, a job I'm often too lazy to do well.  But it is my job, the one I've been given by God Himself.  And there's no room for laziness in a job that's been assigned by the King of Kings.  


Time to buckle down and align the priorities I set for my time and energy with the priorities He sets for me.  That will involve reading the whole book again, but, more importantly, it will involve lots of prayer and time with my Lord.  He'll guide me.  I know He will.