Growing An Oak

Are you concerned about one of your kids? Sometimes I worry about a certain character trait in one of my kids or a behavior issue in another. Recently I was reminded about the farmer and his level of patience he needs to produce a crop. He doesn’t grow anything overnight and what he does grow takes good soil, watering and a lot of sunshine. He has to be patient.

With school starting again, there will be a handful of transitions for your kids and mine. Parents have to get back to a schedule and a rhythm. With transitions, there also can be anxiety among you and your kids. And my tribe is no exception. Already there is a lot of anxiety in my head because I want schedules to fall back into place smoothly without fights about going to bed earlier, lost pencils and homework and sibling wars. Yet, that’s asking too much, too soon. How can I make it easier on them and on myself?

So I’m reminded to be patient with my kids. I need to remember when I see hyped-up emotions, I want to be quieter and calmer. In the past, when they got louder, I got louder and clamped down on them harder. Trust me that does not work.

Join me in extending grace to our kids with the new school year. I hope to listen more and watch out for my lectures. My plan is to listen to their complaints and yet offer ways for them to not be a victim. When I start feeling the anxiety about their behavior, I’m going to think about that patient farmer.

Note to self:  Change my laptop’s desktop to an oak tree because that’s what’s growing at my house.
Photo courtesy of Bruce Tuten (Creative Commons)