Children....obey your parent(s).....

There is a battle in my house going on right now....and it is a battle that with the help of the Lord, I will win. Reid has a chip on his shoulder that I think just naturally comes with 5th grade (Austin's did) and with a strong-willed child. He doesn't like authority and he doesn't understand why things can't go his way all the time. I love him dearly, and we have a very special relationship, but I will not allow him to walk all over me. I will not allow him to disrespect me. It may seem highly strange this day in our society to think that a parent will actually discipline their child....but not to me, and not to my father! I knew growing up that my dad loved me, but I also knew who was in charge, and I seldom tested my boundaries or the authority over me. Reid seems to be testing it a lot lately. Maybe it is because there is really no "man" in the house, but I realize now exactly the challenge before me with him and I refuse to let him grow up to disrespect authority like his father does. I think it is the biggest reason why his father will never (or at least has never) surrendered his life to the Lord. He hates authority and he doesn't want anyone telling him what to do. I see that in Reid. But here's what happened this morning before church:

Reid: Ha, Ha, Emmie I get the last of the juice.

Emmie: I want some.

Mom: Reid, you just said that to start a fight so now you can give the rest of your juice to Emmie.

Reid: No way! No Fair! I am sick of this! Emmie always gets her way! I am tired of it!

Mom: (as I march down the stairs with my mascara in my hand) What did you say?

Reid: I am sick of this! (shouting)

Mom: Well, I am sick of the way you talk to me. You will never talk to me that way again! You better learn some respect and learn it fast!

Reid: Well, I am sick of it. She always gets her way!!!!

Well, I wasn't raised by a dishrag of a father OR mother and I am very thankful that God instilled in me as strong a will as my children have, because I do not back down. I love him too much to let him get away with that kind of talk, so I spanked him. It was silence all the way to church. He would not talk to me. After church, on the way home (perhaps because of a wonderful, Godly speaker named Carrie McDonnall, which I will talk about next) or perhaps God convicted him, but he was very pleasant and apologized for his rude behavior on the way home, but it started up again at the lunch table. Reid started "telling" me in a "supposedly joking" manner that he would get ice cream whether I said so or not. So, discovering he really didn't learn much of a lesson, I sent him to his room, while Emmie, Austin and I ate ice cream. He realized we ate ice cream and started crying for some and apologizing, but it was too late. He was in his room for an hour and no ice cream. As I lay on my bed for that next hour, I listened to him cry....no scream is more like it. He was mad and sad and bursting with emotion that all came out in a yell/sob. I sat and listend for over an hour and I cried, too. I prayed. I cried. Then God spoke to me. I saw myself in Reid. I realized that as I cried and yelled and got angry with God during times God didn't seem present, I knew He had brought me to that place for a reason and sometimes I knew I needed discipline, too. I went in and sat by Reid's bed and I just rubbed his cheeks and wiped his tears. He stared at me and never said a word. "Reid," I said through my tears, "You know I love you more than my own life. You know I would give my life for you. But I love you too much to let you live in your rebelliousness. I love you too much to let you wind up dead or on the streets one day because you never learned to respect authority. I know where you are coming from and I know where you will end up if I don't discipline you, because I have been there. I know what is best for you, whether you think I do or not. I am your mom and God has given me the incredible responsibility of raising you and I want to do it right. And I believe to do it right means to make sure you respect me. Do you understand any of that?" He shakes his head yes. "Then please know that I love you, but I want you to serve the Lord and to love Him and for you to do that better, it is my job to make sure you respect your elders and obey God's laws."

We talked a little bit longer and then I hugged him and kissed him and asked him if he wanted some ice cream! Of course he said yes. He is a good boy...no a GREAT boy, but I can't back down to him. I can't let him control me and it is the hardest thing to do as a parent. Loving and playing and having fun is much better, but sometimes I have to be the bad guy and, like my dad always said, it really does hurt me more than him. But I love him too much to have it any other way. I see Tami's boys and how rebellious they are and I really believe that a huge part of it is because she just doesn't have the backbone to stand up to them. It isn't fun and it isn't easy adn it is CONSTANT work, but I believe the rewards will be great someday. Austin was strong-willed and will occasionally challenge me, but most of the time he obeys. He is a good boy, too. Now Emmie....oh my, where do I start with her!!!

So today at church it was Global Impact Sunday and the focus was missions. There was a guest speaker from Texas named Carrie McDonnall. She was a missionary in Iraq in 2004 when her husband David and three other missionaries were fired upon in their vehicle and all the others were killed. She survived with horrific gunshot wounds. Wow, what an incredible testimony she has. I cried several times during her speech and my kids were spell-bound. She told of the tragedy and heartbreak upon learning of her husband's death and of the painful recovery. She has many, many wounds still visible, but she spoke of her faith in God and his Sovereign Power. What a great lady she is. She has written a book called Facing Terror and the bookstore at church had a bunch of copies and she was doing a book signing after church. I bought her book and she signed it for me. I have already read the first four chapters since church. It is incredible! What a heart for Jesus she has and her sweet husband had. I can't wait to finish the book, but I need to work on a paper for class that is due Friday, so I better go for now. Later.......