Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Reality Hurts


Miss Sunshine

Handsome

Ok. Here are my two older children. Today they came home and told me that they had both forgotten their homework folder. Ouch! Their father and I had told them a couple of weeks ago that there would be major consequences if they forgot them again. My boy also forgot his on a day where he had a test review. Double ouch! So the parental units sit down, after sending the children to their rooms to contemplate their doom, to talk about what kind of punishments to dole out. It took us forever with Miss Sunshine. Rarely does she have a bad day. If we sit her in the corner she will usually end up playing a game with her fingers. We thought about taking her books because she absolutely loves to read but , again, has the imagination to make up any story she wants to so...no. I told Husband that whatever we did it had to hurt. The one thing that she loves is food. So for forgetting to bring her homework folder home for the millionth time, she went to bed with no dinner. It hurt me horribly to send her to bed with no dinner and what hurt even worse was that she was so sweet about it. She took it like Miss Sunshine would take things. hopefully she will remember this one. I know it sounds awful but if there is never a consequence what will she do someday if she just keeps forgetting to pay her bills? Oh, she also had to go early to school with Daddy to do homework. She has to be responsible for what is required of her.
Older one got an even steeper punishment. He forgets his folder all the time. First, he still had to do an hour and a half review with Dad. Then he got grounded off of TV and Xbox for a week and also lost the privilege of playing the XBOX during the week. Now until summer, he is only allowed to play video games on the weekend. I was a sad night for all of us but hopefully being consistent will help them become the responsible adults that God created them to be. I just wish they knew that it hurt me more than it hurts them. I cried. It says in the Word that we train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it. It never says that the training will be easy. It is easier to just overlook things, do things for them and enable. But, I have seen the results of that kind of upbringing in some adults that I know and I do not want that for my kids. I felt like a bad mom last night but this morning my little boy came over to me and wrapped his arms around me and told me he loved me. My daughter laid her head on my lap and told me how much she loved me. I think they got the message.Hang in there mom's and dad's! Be strong! You are raising up mighty men and women of God!

2 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post!!!! Way to go guys. This is the type of training our children need, if only more people would realize it! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. ditto to Charlsie, being a parent hurts.

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