Who's in Charge?

To say that today was a difficult day as a parent would be a HUGE understatement. I felt so NOT in control and frustrated that I went in our bedroom, closed the door and said to myself, "I quit." This all happened before church of course. Adela had gotten up at 5:30am, whined all morning, asked to watch TV a million times, would not come when called to get dressed, brush teeth, etc. The final straw came when it was time to leave for church and I was trying to comb her hair ( a constant battle in our house). She squealed at the slightest pull and by then I'd had enough.

Later this afternoon I discussed all of this with my Dad. I tried hard to be objective and not say, "But, I've done that..." He said, "One thing you need to eliminate from your vocabulary is "Okay?" I honestly didn't think that was a big deal because I was thinking that my "okay?" meant "Is that clear?" I got to thinking about it and realized that he's probably got a good point. AND to confirm his wise advise, I had received this week's Home Training Lesson from Bible Study Fellowship International http://www.bsfinternational.org/ (This is my 2nd year and I absolutely LOVE it! Adela attends a class as well.) and decided to read it especially since it was titled "Who's In Charge - You or Your Child?"

Well, Daddy had hit the nail and I was sure to tell him! :) To paraphrase:

Adults often give up control in their home when they say, "It's time for bed. All right? Okay?" This kind of question at the end of a direction gives the impression that the child can choose to obey or not.

So, tonight I put this new idea into practice. I couldn't believe how many times I caught myself before ending the direction with "Okay?" She did seem to obey better though, so we'll see what tomorrow brings!

Lord, I pray that you would open my eyes that I might see areas where I can be a better parent. Help me to be objective and see ways that I can train my child to be more like you.