Best of Resourceful Mommy: Valuing What Your Kids Value
During my time in Tanzania with Compassion International, I will would like to share some of my favorite posts from the past.
~Originally posted 11/16/11~
My husband and my son do not oftenalways get along. I like to joke that had my husband and I met when we were five, I likely would have driven him crazy, potentially pulled his hair or hit him, and definitely told him he was my boyfriend whether he liked it or not. Our son is very much like me, and he has the same stubborn spirit that I had at that age. It can seem at times that these two boys I love above all others speak a completely different language. As my husband holds firm and speaks calmly in his language, my son’s exacerbation escalates and pleas become yells and at time physical fits of frustration.
Last week we had parent/teacher conferences, which meant that the kids came home early from school only to be jostled back into the car to sit patiently in the hallway while we spoke to their teachers. My kids are incredibly patient and go with the flow pretty easily. They’ve sat on planes on tarmacs during long delays, sat in airports waiting for a flight crew to arrive (seriously…ugh), stood in line waiting for rides, and have dealt with their crazy work at home mom hopping on expected calls just when they wanted to play a game. However, something really upset my son on this particular day. He did not want to put his shoes back on and leave the house, and nothing that my husband said to him worked to help him through his frustrations. By the time we got in the car, his little face was red and his body was tense. I could see that just speaking to him had the potential to launch him into a full on fit. But I tried it anyway.
Very insightful. Thank you.