Calm before the storm...

Caleb has been de-lish-us the past couple of days! Just delightful. And boy, has it made this house so peaceful and my mothering job much easier. So much easier. It's not just his behavior that has changed, it's his heart. He's not just obedient, but also has a desire to obey. I love the behavior change, but the heart change is so much sweeter and brings such joy to my heart.

I wish that I could say that this was going to be a permanent change but I know, from experience, that it's not. He will at some point and for some length of time go back to being more challenging, but for now I will bask in this cool shower of God's grace. This weary mom needs it. And I love how Father knows that.

I have been reading this book about the Spirited Child and so far have really liked it. It's a new perspective on my sweet boy's personality. It's funny, I have lots of friends who have these young children who are under three and they have already labeled them "strong-willed". I always find that humorous because they are 2 or 3...that is there job. To figure out their boundaries, test the rules and learn who's boss. Those things don't define strong-will, they define the trying-two's and teachable-three's. Labels at that age bother me. I like how this book labels my boy as "spirited". And now that he's about to be six, I feel like it's safe to give him a label. I'm just not planning on telling him he has one!

I have been thinking about how the exhausting part of the "spirited" child isn't behavior, but attitude. It's not that he's "bad" or even "naughty". Those things can be trained out of a child. It's that he's defiant and challenges my authority on everything. He's intense, intelligent, and perceptive. It is our job to channel these things and teach sweet boy how to handle them. And once we have - the sky is the limit on what this child will be able to accomplish. He's an amazing little boy.



And that is why I believe that during these exhausting times, in this journey called motherhood, that God is faithful and knows that there are moments when I could use a shower of grace to give me hope and push me forward. As mother's, we don't always get to see the fruit of our labor. In fact, very little we do ever feels complete or finished. Especially as the mother of young children, we don't often get to feel the satisfaction of a finished product...a job well done. We have to rely on faith and prayer. And what a great place to be.



I read this quote today and thought it amazing...

"I have held many things in my hands

and have lost them all; but whatever

I have placed in God's hands,

that I still possess."

~ Martin Luther