Principal's Office

When I picked up Garrett yesterday from Mother's Day Out, he was waiting for me in the "Principals Office", which meant that he had escalated through 2 other levels of discipline before reaching this state. A proud moment for any parent! So, I gathered him up to take the long walk down to his classroom to talk to his teacher and find out what his wrong doing was that day. Unfortunately, this was not his 1st trip to the Principal's Office and even though it was only his 2nd time - that isn't very good for a 2 1/2 year old!.

Garrett is a very sensitive boy and does not like to disappoint or make you unhappy. However, the little tazmanian devil in him that is loaded with too much energy gets the best of him sometimes. He did not want to talk to me and his teacher about what happened, rather he wanted to ignore the whole thing and hope that it would all just go away. But, we would not allow that...what kind of lesson would that teach. So, while he whined and tried to wiggle away, his teacher explained that Garrett just refused to listen, would not take a nap and would not obey. For me, this seems to be a daily event with Garrett and unfortunately one that I have almost come to take for granted.

Am I failing him somehow? Do I not have the right mix of discipline? Not enough physical exercise to rid him of the excess energy? Not enough consistency (for sure). I don't know, but the questions can definitely haunt you. Not to mention that one of my friends said that she was thinking of me the night before and wanted to tell me to read a book called "Babywise" which is supposed to be God's way of raising children. I know she is only trying to help me out, but I started wondering...do my children come across to others as the ones to keep their kids away from because they are too wild or undisciplined?

I continue to try new things and am open to suggestions...I came home and researched the "Babywise" book. I found that there is controversy surrounding the book and its author - an article that I read in Christianity Today talked about whether the practices could be harmful to your child, as well as the author's experience and/or integrity. I will continue to pray and trust in God that He will show me the things that I need to do and/or change in my child-rearing efforts. I said it in my Christmas letter and I will say it again...raising kids is the most humbling thing I have ever attempted in my life! I learn new things everyday and they never cease to amaze me.

If you have any suggestions for me to try, please send them my way because I don't want to be like the guy who drowned. When he got to heaven he asked God why He didn't save him because he was trusting and believing that He would rescue him. God explained to him that He sent a friend, a boat, and finally a helicopter to save him from the rising waters, but the man failed to take God's help.