Patience is not my virtue

I love my three children more than anything in this world, but somedays, I want to send them to the moon.  A few days ago, we got into a battle of wills over picking up the toys in the play room.  As a result the toys, albeit the junky ones that were strewn all over the place, were boxed up so I can take them to the Goodwill.  I told the children that we were going to give them to someone who will pick them up and appreciate them.

Nolan was so angry with me, that he lashed out at his little brother who was trying to play.  He pushed Mason so hard that he hit his face on the side of the bunk bed and he blackened his eye.  Well, we all had a lesson in kindness and patience that day, and I had a huge wake up call.  His eye does not look nearly as bad now as it did then.

It is so easy to lash out at the people we love most and expect to be forgiven later.  My husband is gone so I have my children with me 24-7, and it is harder than anything I have ever done in my life.  It is so easy to get short tempered, and yell, which in turn changes their mood and they lash out at each other.  Since then I have tried to do something with my kids everyday and give out those extra hugs, and words of encouragement, even when I am tired of being touched and crawled on.  My children are only young once, and pretty soon, they will not need me as much as they do now.  I also hope that I will be a better wife and mother as a result.