Persistance seems to be paying off...

...But don't tell my kids! I fear if they learn that things are working better this week than they have in a long time, then they will know my secret and shall devise new ways to thwart my progress.

Or maybe it is just the eye of the storm and soon, I will be back in the stormy seas. To that I say, "Enjoy the ride while it lasts!"

I prefer to think it is that I have been more persistant and as consistant in my expectations as I can be and now the kids are realizing that they cannot bend the rules without consequences.

A woman at church described it as teaching children that all throughout the Bible there are examples of "Blessings and Curses" and those are tied in to the behavior, attitudes and obedience of the Israelites. When the Israelites followed the laws God had laid down, they were blessed with victory in battle, prosperity and times of peace. But when they began to follow their own rules and neglected their service to the Lord, curses came about like war, loss of peace, property and even the loss of life.

I think that is something I am going to begin talking about with my children. Especially in light of the van window incident and the $240 they need to work off to pay for it. And while the Curse of this incident was the loss of "All things Fun for 1 week" and community service to mom, I want them to see that they can be blessings to others by fulfilling their community service obligation to me. Hence, they cleaned out my van and they cleaned Grandma's house. They also have an increased responsibilty for the daily nitty-gritty household maintenance. I can get a lot of leverage with this event.

I guess that I get some Blessings and Curses out of this too. I have to shell out the cash to the neighbor and sacrifice some of the extra's for the next several weeks. But I can use this time to teach my children some valuable lessons and get some long- neglected things done around the house. Hmmmmm.

Parenting is hard work. Classic understatement. It is probably the toughest job I have ever loved. And I continue to learn almost daily that my job here on earth raising these 4 children is a small reflection of what it may be like for God trying to teach His children, like me.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"
"When are you going to learn that I know the best way to do this?"
"If you do things the way I have shown you, you will save yourself a lot of time, trouble and agrivation."
"If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred times..."

But I wonder if God looks down on me when I am sleeping, brushes some hair off my face and says, "Child, you are difficult to teach but I love you so much that I will keep doing it for as long as it takes." And then He thinks, "Kids are so cute when they are sleeping."