"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Jeremiah 29:11
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Saturday, May 24, 2008

I thought I was smart!

I know it is a combination between a cultural thing and a teenage thing... but it drives me pretty crazy! I have a Master's Degree in Administration - I am NOT stupid!

Really it is getting better everyday. Really. I think. Or maybe I just got enough sleep last night that I don't feel quite so stung by it. "IT" refers to my oldest son telling me "NO, Mom" on pretty much everything. Not when I ask him to do something, but when I show him how to do something, he thinks I am showing him wrong. When I helped him mow the lawn last week, "No, Mom! I know Mom!" When we played Hide N Seek in the house yesterday too.

Maybe he thinks that I think he is stupid. Could be... I guess I should stop being so sensetive and watch very closely how I talk to him. I am so used to talking to 7-year-olds as my oldest that I suppose I could be talking the same way to my new oldest. This is the same young man who fed his family and worked and went to school. I suppose he probably doesn't appreciate me treating him like a 7-year-old. Hmmm...

OK, so maybe I am not so smart after all!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ahhh! Brooke you are the parent of a tweenager!

With my own eldest I have found that the most difficult time to be a parent is immediately after he has become an expert on something, or helped me like another adult would help me (like fixing the irrigation system). It is so hard to be a parent of a tween.

When I read your post I remembered the power struggles I have had. That is probably what you are experiencing. Joseph knows so much! He has been an adult in so many ways. Yes, he is a kid and needs your instruction and advise. But it can't be delivered in the same way you do with the little ones.

You'll need to talk to him like an adult, and coach more than tell. He will need to do it his way (wrong) first, then be shown how to do it correctly. There will be a time (very soon) when you will draw your line in the sand, and he put a toe over it. Then you will need to remind him that YOU are the adult in your home and he is the child.

Keep praying-- God will give you what you need when you need it.