In His Steps: Oh, Gabe.

Today, Gabe put himself down for a nap. Really. He took his dishes from lunch to the sink, washed his hands, pottied, and said, "Night Mom. I'm going to nap.", and then he went straight to bed and is sleeping soundly as I type this. So, in honor of his incredibly easy transition to nap time I'm going to blog about him.

My dear, sweet, goofy Gabe. He is growing up, becoming more independent with each passing day.

This is great.

And, this is terrible.

On the one hand, I don't have to follow him to the bathroom. It's pretty much self service at this point. He can help himself to the snacks in the fridge if I'm busy with Barrett. He can put his own sandals on (and on the right feet half the time). He promoted to the big kids Sunday school class this month, and is loving the age appropriate Bible activities they have. His teachers tell me he does a great job listening and following instructions.

On the other hand, he thinks he can do what he wants when he wants just because he wants to. Naturally, this causes some conflict in the household and results in a whole bunch of sour attitude. A frequent part of my daily vocabulary includes phrases like "speak kindly" and "don't be rude" and "have a seat in time out". For about three weeks he was just awful with his attitude. He would go out of his way to disobey me knowing full well he would have consequences to serve.

Then it rained. Literally. It rained last weekend.

And, the skies opened up and at the end of the glorious rainbow my sweet son returned to me and his attitude took a full 180 degree turn. Praise. the. Lord!

Casey and I have had so many conversations about him and how to handle his recent attitude change. We were truly at a loss for what to do. I was feeling like a failure as a mom. Silly, I know. Gabe will test us. Barrett will test us when he's old enough to do so. Gabe's attitude has had a recent improvement, but I know we'll go through more periods of defiance. This is what kids do. The trick is not to give in, but rather dig in. Keep at it. Demand they follow the house rules and expectations. No matter the effort, time, or tears involved...keep at it. We've changed up our tactics and now included in our bag of consequences is losing privileges or certain favorite toys. I have learned that different strategies work in different situations. Keep it fresh. Keep trying until there's a turn around. Don't give up!

And, yes I wrote that last paragraph for my own personal well being more than I wrote it for any other person.

I love Gabe. I love his spirit and his drive for independence. I love his creativity and imagination. Defiance and all...I love him and that is why I will continually, relentlessly expect him to be kind, show respect, and be obedient to authority. I have heard others say when people become parents they get a better glimpse of what God goes through with His children. So. True. God expects no less of us and I am continually, relentlessly being shaped by God's wants and wills for my life. I must learn to be kind, loving, and obedient myself. It's not something I just learned one day and never looked back on. It is a life long journey. And, so it will be with my children.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Whew! That was some fun introspective writing. On to a few pictures.... Casey snapped these while we were having Barrett's three month photo shoot. Gabe was supposed to be helping daddy attract Barrett's attention. It didn't really work. Barrett wasn't interested and Gabe spent much of the time just blowing the duck call and pretending to look for birds.