During Christmas break …
the days seemed to drag on as the kids spent far too much time
fighting and disobeying.
I was frustrated.
Frustrated with them for their bad behavior.
Frustrated with myself for getting so frustrated with them.
As we were nearing the end of a very long day,
I realized that I wasn’t hugging my kids enough.
I rarely laughed.
I was easy to irritate and hard to please.
So, I came up with an acronym.
L-O-V-E
L is for laughter.
Simply stated, we just need to laugh together more.
O is for outings.
We need to be intentional to spend time together,
doing something fun.
V is for voice.
We are practicing to use our voice to affirm each other.
Every night at dinner, we go around the table and tell each other one
thing that person did that day that was good, sweet, or thoughtful.
E is for embrace.
Hugging. Using our hands and arms to hug, not push or hit.
It’s probably been better for me than for the kids … and it’s a huge step in the right direction toward helping me focus on my love for each of them and the time I have with them, instead of being frustrated by their misbehavior.